Shaktikanta Das, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India, frequently uses metaphors like Arjuna’s eye to convey that the RBI is focused on slowing inflation. RBI governor not only uses the example of Arjuna’s eye to communicate but he also peppers with cricket terms and Bollywood songs. The using of Mahabharata, Cricketing terms, and Bollywood songs while conveying RBI’s message by Shaktikanta Das has attained the attention of the public across the country. It is persistent to mention that Shaktikanta Das’s clip went viral on the internet, in which he is using the late Lata Mangeshkar’s ‘Aaj fir jeene ki tamanna hain’ following a monetary policy meeting. In the following sections of this article, we have shed light on Shaktikanta Das’s habit of using metaphors while communicating and conveying messages. Shift to the following sections and read more details.
RBI Governor Uses Songs and Cricket Metaphors While Conveying Complex Issues
Once Das said to bankers that they should play like Rahul Dravid. He often uses Arjuna’s eye term to convey that RBI is highly focused on bringing down inflation. On Wednesday, November 22, 2023, while giving a speech at the FICCI-IBA, a banking seminar, Shaktikanta Das explained the softer side of communication that he used many times to bring out the essence of finance.
Das said, “I just read about household inflation expectations. How is the household expectation formed? It is impacted by real experiences like when they buy groceries or pay electricity bills. How does the central bank influence household expectations?” RBI governor further went on to answer his own question, “Central bank can influence expectations, one is by taking actions like increasing interest rate or tightening liquidity and then backing it up with appropriate communication. Communication has to be in a manner which reaches a wider audience including households, particularly those living in tier 2, tier 3 cities.’’
The Reserve Bank of India governor added that nobody should assume that an ordinary household is not aware of what is being promised by the police makers. He further elaborated that people are reading the newspapers, they know what is happening. Shaktikanta Das said, ‘’When I explain the issues by drawing similes from Mahabharata, etc, at least I am convinced that we are reaching out to a wider audience,” In December 2018, Shaktikanta Das took charge as RBI governor. He is famous for his ways of using dialogue in communication with stakeholders. Stay tuned.