Survival of the fittest and its relation to products around us A colloquium paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the pre-diploma presentation
Faculty Guide: Prof. Sanjay Jain Submitted by: Shyamali Verma, Product Design, 8th Semester.
Abstract: My topic for the colloquium is “Survival of The Fittest and its relation to products around us”, because I wish to study the theory as stated by Charles Darwin, analyze and show its application to products that we normally experience, and through this demonstrate that the way in which something ‘Survives’ and the reason for it being the ‘Fittest’ is different for different products. Then from my study I wish to pick out some parameters on which to anticipate a product’s survival, and to help the reader begin their own process of evaluating other such products.
Outline: Part 1: Introduction of Survival of the fittest, as stated by Charles Darwin Part 2: Choice of products 1. 2. 3. 4.
Clock Denims Indian pot Sholay
Part 3: Products: the Indian pot 1. 2. 3. 4.
Its existence in our lives (history/ origin) Its qualities: reasons why it is the fittest. What about it survived? Conclusion if any
Part 4: Comparison, conclusion…
1
Introduction to Darwin’s Theory Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist whose primary and essential contribution was in figuring out how evolution occurs. This he did through his theory of ‘Natural Selection’ 1. He published his theory with compelling evidence for evolution in his book ‘On the Origin of Species’ 23. Natural Selection according to him is the process by which the organisms that are best adapted to their environment tend to be the ones that survive to reproduce and pass on their genes to the next generation. The genes of those individuals that are most ‘fit’. And those are the genes that are carried by the next generation and hence the term ‘survival of the fittest.’ To better understand what Charles Darwin meant by natural selection, we must go into a short recapitulation of how he came to this theory. Darwin, after discovering the phenomena of evolution, wanted to find a biological force that would explain the evolution of life. On reading extensively, he realized that the key lies in something similar to the way in which animal and plant breeders function. They bring about change by the selection and breeding of desirable offspring and rejection of all others. And at that point of time where few people had to produce food for many, selection for improved quality of animals and plants was necessary.
Eventually, Darwin read “An Essay on the Principle of Population” 4, which gave him his missing link. In this essay the author argued that population growth will always be more than
1
Later termed as survival of the fittest by British polymath philosopher Herbert Spencer
2
Published in 1859
3
Later shortened to ‘The Origin of Species’
4
Written by Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus
2
the food supplies. And unless people exercise “prudential restraint”, ongoing struggles for existence are inevitable as people compete for the limited available food and other resources, including living space.
From this Darwin drew that in the animal and plant world, prudential restraint cannot exist, and since population growth is not restricted to humans, an ongoing struggle for survival, due to limited resources, inevitably occurs in the animal and plant world as well. Success and failure in the struggle will depend on the different characteristics possessed by the competing organisms. Hence, the selection of the better organism through competition in the natural world will be ongoing, with the winners passing on their winning features to the next generation and the losers dying off. Finally it is this winning feature that survives by being passed on from generation to generation.
Darwin himself illustrated his theory through the example of wolves. Here he observed that wolves in general secure some of their prey by craft, some by swiftness and some by sheer strength, depending on the type of prey and the type of wolf. Then he imagined that if the swiftest prey, like say the deer, had for some reason increased in number and the rest of the animals decreased in number, then the swiftest and slimmest wolves would have a better chance at catching deer and hence surviving. The stronger but slower wolves would eventually die away as the swifter, slimmer wolves reproduce and increase in number, and hence be preserved as a type of wolf, given that they retained the ability to acquire prey in case of a change of circumstance where another type of prey increased in number. 5
Hence survival was through reproduction and the fittest was not necessarily the 5
Charles Robert Darwin. “Origin of Species”. http://www.bartleby.com/11/4003.html.
3
strongest but the one best suited for the situation and environment.
Over time we have come to use the term “Survival of the fittest” in many contexts, other than living organisms. It is a common term in class rooms when any kind of competition is referred to.
With reference to our new understanding of survival of the fittest, I would like to reflect on a few products that we see and experience around us and to draw a parallel between the terms ‘survival’ and ‘fittest’ with reference to these products and the original theory. The products I have chosen are of a wide variety of type. These are products that I have lived with.
Product 1: clock Ever noticed what the clock at your dentist’s clinic or the railway station looks like? The common answer to this question would be a wall clock with a white circular dial, with black numberings and black hands.
This is a clock similar to the one that designer Max Bill designed in 1927, known as model no. 32/0389.
Max Bill studied silver smiting in Zurich and studied art at the Dessau Bauhaus. Here fully embraced the school’s functionalist approach to design. Later, at Ulm, Bill championed Bauhaus-type geometric formalism, believing that products based on mathematical laws had an aesthetic purity and therefore a greater universality of appeal. 4
‘While the geometric formalism that Bill promoted was intended as a means of achieving greater universality, its severity and lack of humanizing qualities prevented his wide scale acceptance.’ 6
Now it may seem that I am contradicting myself since it clearly states that his designs were not widely accepted. But with this clock, the ‘severity and lack of humanizing qualities’ worked for its survival. Because the moment we think of humanizing qualities, the human quality of error comes into play. So even though the clock did not appeal as a personal product for people, it was this severity and lack of humanizing qualities that makes it look more efficient than any other type of clock. Hence is it extremely visible in public areas where precision is quintessential.
This clock blends in minds of people as the depiction of time. It has become the visual connotation for ‘time’. Other clocks represent peoples personal belongings, their tastes etc… this clock just represents ‘time’!
Further its non decorative aspects make it immune to trend changes. And helps it survive.
We may even say that it has evolved over time in terms of the style of numbering or the shape of the hands, but the simplicity of a circular white dial with minimal black markings and black hands has come along through and through. To demonstrate its effect on our subconscious I would like to narrate a personal event. In our institute canteen, once when standing at the counter, I was observing the working within while waiting for my order. Eventually I noticed a person working inside repeatedly glancing 6
Charlotte and Peter Fiell, ‘20th century design’. Taschen.
5
at the wall above my head, which I could not see, as if he was checking the time. Though I had never seen a clock there, immediately I imagined the same wall clock in the canteen.
Product 2: the Indian pot. “The Indian pot form started its life as one of the most useful objects at the dawn of civilization� 7. It has been found in the excavations of Mohenjo-Daro dated 2500 B.C. But today we see around us not just one type of pot. Over time it has been used for more and more functions as the needs arose.
When water is stored in a terracotta pot, some amount of water seeps out and evaporates off the surface of the pot, thus cooling the remaining water. For this very reason people till this day use terracotta pots for storing water. Apart from water, it is a carrier for many liquids, semisolids and even solids like jaggery, and all kinds of grains. With change in size, the pot is used as a container from which to drink water or as a tumbler to pour water on oneself while having a bath. With new material coming into the picture the pot found more uses such as boiling water or cooking. Handi is the common name it is called by in this context.
Other than these uses where it is used as a container it also finds its place in other contexts such as, in the Southern states of India the Ghada is used as a musical instrument because of the resonant sound that its hollow form emits. The instrument is called the Ghatam. A small pot of fixed size with a tiny hole at the bottom when kept floating on water, the time it takes to be completely immersed is one Ghatika, which equals twenty four minutes. From 7
Prof. H Kumar Vyas
6
Gatika comes the commonly used word Ghadi. Another very interesting way to look at the pot is that even though a lot of effort goes into kneading the clay, forming the pot, baking the clay, if the pot breaks the material just goes into the soil. In fact sometimes a pot is made to be broken. For example: On Janmashtni a pot is filled with dahi and is put at a height as a challenge to be reached and broken by young boys 8.
Also beyond its functional usage the pot also became a part of the rituals and rites. To this day when someone passes away, the pot is used to store his ashes until they are put into the Ganga.
Hence we see that today, 4500 years later it is still being used in most Indian households in one way or the other and in many variations and sizes. “This has happened over a period of time mainly because of the gradual variations in its functions and materials. The changes from stone to baked clay, to terracotta and from terracotta to various kinds of metals suggest not only human progress in the knowledge of materials. It also suggests that various other functions had to be performed by the pot in the course of time. But in all these changes it – the overall form of the pot – remained constant.” 9
As clearly stated by Prof. H Kumar Vyas, even though there were many changes that occurred in the making, the materials and the sizes, the basic form of the pot has survived ever since it was first made.
8
Mostly boys, sometimes girls also participate.
9
Prof. H Kumar Vyas. ‘Design and Environment. A Primer’. SID
7
Now let us question what it was about the pot that made it the fittest. The first thing being something that Prof. Vyas himself talks extensively about is that the pot was not designed by a single person. It evolved to perfection. And for an object to evolve it has to be open to change. Adaptation being the basis of Darwin’s theory, we may say that the pot over the years was always adaptable to suit whatever needs came its way. And because it adapted to so many need, it became indispensable in the Indian household.
But not only did the pot form adapt to various needs, we see that the pot even adapted to various materials. Even though it lost its essence when the material was changed, yet many houses till today use the pot in some way or the other.
Product 3: jeans Almost everyone has, does or will own a piece of denim clothing in their lifetime. Demin has become a staple of the western wardrobe, spanning the boundaries of age, sex, race and time. And this is how it came to be and evolve over time.
When news of the California Gold Rush made its way east, Levi Strauss immigrated to San Francisco in 1853 to make his fortune by establishing the family’s dry goods business. Strauss’s big break came in 1872, when he was approached by Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor. Davis had realized that a big problem with the miners' clothes were the pockets, which easily tore away from the jeans and he came up the idea of using metal rivets to hold the pockets and the jeans together (which were already popular with miners, ranchers and farmers). Davis wanted to patent his riveting process, but he didn't have enough money, so he wrote to 8
Levi Strauss and asked him if he would pay for the patent and share it, Strauss accepted. Strauss and Davis received United States patent #139121 for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim work pants. And hence Levi Strauss & Co. began manufacturing the famous Levi's brand of jeans. At that time denim garments were worn only as work clothes.
In the 1930's cowboys, who often wore jeans in the movies, became very popular. Fewer jeans were made during the time of World War 2, but they were introduced to the world by American soldiers, who sometimes wore them when they were off duty.
Denim jeans actually blasted into the international market only after the release of two movies, the “Wild Ones” (1953) starring Marlon Brando, and “Rebel Without A Cause” (1955) starring James Dean. In both movies, the rebellious young protagonist wore blue jeans, black leather jackets and tight white t-shirts. The stars of these films became sex symbols. The young nonconformist image attracted youth all over the world, who were struggling to define their own role in society. Jeans became a universal symbol and expression of individualism as did the t-shirt and leather jacket.
By the mid 1960’s, youthful rebels on motorcycles moved out while in came long-haired hippies in tie-dyed t-shirts and bleached, faded or patched denim jeans. Different styles of jeans were made, embroidered jeans, painted jeans, psychedelic jeans, etc. Girls wore many of the same boys’ jeans because there were no women’s jeans available in the market.
In the mid 1970’s, Jeans jumped from being symbols of freedom and rebellion to status symbols. Girls jeans were tight fitting, fabrics were dark and Gloria Vanderbilt introduced 9
skinny stretch black denim jeans. In clubs “designer” jeans had designs on the back pockets, and were marketed by sex appeal.
Today freed of all social and creative restrictions, denim is assuming any number of disguises and contexts to be worn in and has broken through almost any limitation on price. It can also be found in home collections, appearing in cushions, bed spreads and furniture-coverings.
Denim is no longer a cotton only product, they now come with either polyamide, Lycra, polypropylene or with polyester and a special bonding with a nylon net for a more active look. Two-way stretch fabrics and special coatings or rubberized effects continue to be a strong trend
In 1969 a writer for American Fabrics magazine declared, "Denim is one of the world's oldest fabrics, yet it remains eternally young." So what was it about denims that led to survival? The fact that the cloth was more flexible than most others in terms of the various styles it could be adapted to. It went from being worn baggy to bell bottom to straight cut and skin fit. It could easily be modified according to trends also mixed with various materials to alter the way it behaved. And hence it never went out of fashion. Denim jeans were ‘rough and tough’ and a pair may last a person for years and therefore made for hardcore durable clothing. They don’t even need to be washed daily. And denims are generally compatible with most other pieces of clothing.
10
The fabric ages gracefully with time i.e., it becomes softer and more comfortable to wear. Even freshly washed denims fit well then loosen up to take your body shape. Worn out denims have their own charm. After their wearable life, they can be made into shorts, bags, filled up to make cushions, etc.
Product 4: Sholay One of the most complete and entertaining films of all time, it boasts of some of the biggest stars of its time-Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri.
A key factor in the film was the villain, the cold-blooded killer, Gabbar Singh. Unlike earlier villains who were content to bring about a misunderstanding between the lovers' families, Gabbar seems to pursue evil as an end in itself. Played by newcomer Amjad Khan, it defined his place in cinema as a villain and with him it brought in a new league of ruthless villains. Gabbar Singh was by far the most popular character of the film. The legendary Gabbar’s dialogues are now folk-lore (Pachas pachas kos door gaon mein jab bachcha raat ko rota hai to maa kahti hai beta soja ...soja nahin to Gabbar Singh aa jaayega), his vicious laughter showing his tobacco-stained teeth or the trademark ferocity (Yeh haath mujhe de de Thakur), Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh is a true blue cult-figure. In fact, along with the music cassettes and records of the film, cassettes and records of the film's dialogues too were released and were extremely popular.
Each and every character of Sholay is a part of the cinematic folklore, along with Gabbar the other most popular characters are Hindi cinema’s best-known buddies, Jai- Veeru and 11
Veeru’s blabbermouth love interest, Basanti. The two friends singing ‘Yeh dosti hum nahin chhodenge’ makes the most enduring image of screen friendship. Hema Malini as the chatterbox Basanti was a laugh riot. Yet that was only the lighter trait of her character. Basanti’s role portrays that of a feminist, she does a man’s job, is bold and fearless. Shown as one who can take care of herself and others, she is almost like a female Zorro only with a horse cart instead of a horse and her weapon, a whip. 10
Practically every scene, dialogue and even a small character was a highlight. Even Dhanno, the horse of Hema Malini’s horse cart is remembered till today! Every small character be it the Jailor (Asrani), Mausi (Leela Mishra) or Sambha (Mac Mohan) - are etched in viewer's minds.
One also tends to remember the romance developed in silence between Jai and Radha with just exchange of looks, a fine contrast to the boisterous and more obvious Veeru - Basanti track. Similarly the quite, intense character of Jai stands out against the light outgoing character of Veeru. And yet the understanding and strong bond between the friends is something everyone may relate to. As viewers we tend to accept both contrasts for what they are and both become endearing.
The audience didn’t see Thakur’s arms being chopped off, but the visual cut from Gabbar raising the sword to the Thakur standing with his empty kurta sleeves flapping in the wind was unforgettable. Director Ramesh Sippy had made violence aesthetic and attractive. Another sequence that makes a solid impact is when Gabbar is told that Sachin is on his way to the city. Gabbar's response is to kill a mosquito. Cut to Sachin's dead body in the village. 10
As worded by Prof. Prashant Desai.
12
The film made use of several interesting innovations. This included its spectacular cinematography, with shots panning over rocky heights and barren canyons, often under menacing clouds. This lends the movie much of its eerie tension. It was the first film in India that was shot in 70mm and hence the first big screen experience.
We can say that Sholay survived because of the fact that the film ran for more than five consecutive years in a theatre (Minerva) in Bombay and the fans are still reciting the lines. Sholay became a legend, and by far the most successful film of its time. It set several trends in its aftermath. Spates of Multi-starrers and Films with male bonding amongst heroes followed. The characterizations of the cast in Sholay have become icons in Indian cinema. The character of Gabbar became immortal and was the most imitated character ever. Gabbar’s dialogues are till date part of our daily parlance.
Accessories like mugs, belts, bags and even t-shirts till today have dialogues and characters from the film printed on them. There have been multiple copies of the film itself and multiple number of spoofs made on the film and new ones continue to be made till today. The latest big appearance Sholay made was in the film Main Hoon Na. 11
Another thing that has survived is the portrayal of new comer Amjad Khan as a villain; he played the role of a villain in many movies to come.
The way Sholay was able to blend the various items or 'masalas' required in a Hindi film in exactly the right doses is apparent. It was a formula film, with something for everybody. And 11
Link to video. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sholay-the-movie-the-cult-the-legend/47785-8.html
13
everybody relates to it at one level or the other. Also as Alfred Hitchcock always said, "Better the villain, better the film!" Other factors that make Sholay such a memorable and loved film are the characters and powerful dialogues written by know legendary Indian writers Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan. Sholay has a compelling story that is unforgettable and timeless. Even the theme of two petty thieves becoming heroes is very close to our hearts.
Director Shekhar Kapur puts it best: ‘There has never been a more defining film on the Indian screen. Indian Film history can be divided into ‘Sholay’ BC and ‘Sholay AD.’
Conclusion So we see that from Darwin’s perspective the fittest is not the strongest but the one that is best adapted to that day and age and it continues to survive if it continues to adapt itself, and survival was not necessarily physical or individual but that of a certain character or gene. Hence we see a very strong relationship between the environment and the factors that make something the fittest.
Through the example of the clock we notice that it was those certain things that it was criticized for, which helped it survive. Because in the environment in which it survived, public spaces, those negative qualities were the ones that fitted in perfectly. In this case the qualities that made this clock the fittest were simplicity, non stylized, machine-like efficiency, and plain white and black contrast. And the same were the qualities that survived. And since the need for efficiency will always exist in public places, then so will that clock.
Thorough the example of denim jeans as well as the Indian pot we observe that their basic 14
quality for survival was that as times changed, they adapted themselves to their environment and the changing lifestyles. In case of the Indian pot we see that it went from a container for carrying water to that for storing and dispensing water 12 and other things. It became symbolic, even developed a base. Similarly denim jeans went from cowboy attire to a symbol youth rebellion, to psychedelic hippy clothing then to body hugging fashionable attire. At the same time going from straight cut to bell bottoms, to baggy pants, to narrow fit and back to straight cut again. And today we have come to a day and age where multiple of these styles coexist at the same time! Another aspect about both these products is that they can be put to multiple uses and so they get used in one way or the other, and hence survive!
In case of Sholay we observe how it’s the repetition of dialogues and the characterizations that indicate how the movie has really survived through the years. One of the reasons Sholay was the fittest because it was the first of its kind in many things it even flopped in the beginning because it was so new but then the audience acquainted itself with this and then it blasted the box office. Another factor was that it had a good mix of everything and every shot has something memorable and interesting. In fact the succession of shots and the way a person’s emotions are modulated through the film is commendable.
So we see that in the first case it was the minimalist, efficient look that helped the clock survive. In the second and third cases it was the products adaptability to change and multiplicity of use that helped it survive. While in the fourth case it was the multilayered storyline and the emotional connect that it made. Hence we may come to a conclusion by adding that while judging a product we can now derive a few points that we must look at. One may be to evaluate a product on the basis that when trends change, what will happen to 12
Dispensing with the help of a tap attached to it.
15
the product? Will it be adaptable to the changing trend, like in the case of denims? Or is it so basic that change of trend will not affect it at all, like in the case of the clock? Another aspect would be to map the emotional connect it makes with the user or target audience. Does it have a psychological bond?
As we continue to study more products in the same light, more such parameters may be found. I hope that this colloquium helps in initiation this process of evaluating the survival of products around us that we have come to take for granted.
16
Bibliography: 1. Michael Ruse. “Darwin And Design. Does evolution have a purpose?” Harvard University Press. 2003. 2. Charles Robert Darwin. “Origin of Species”. http://www.bartleby.com/11/4003.html. 3. Darwin, Evolution & Selection http://geneticsevolution.suite101.com/article.cfm/darwin_evolution_selection 4. H. Kumar Vyas. “Design The International Movement. With Indian Parallel”. SID Research Cell. School 5. H. Kumar Vyas. “Environment And Design. A Primer”. National Institute of Design. 6. Charlotte and Peter Fiell. “Icons. 20th Century Design”. Taschen. 7. ‘Denim-The fabric of our lives’. http://www.designboom.com/history/denim.html 8. Jeans: blue denim. History and evolution of blue jeans. http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/denim2.html 9. Denim fabric and history. http://www.olah.com/ 10. LEVI STRAUSS: A SHORT BIOGRAPHY © Lynn Downey, Levi Strauss & Co. Historian 2008 11. Fascinating facts about Levi Strauss co-inventor of Blue Jeans in 1873. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/strauss.htm 12. Fascinating facts about Levi Strauss co-inventor of Blue Jeans in 1873. http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/strauss.htm 13. Bollywood Talk. Sholay 1975. http://guyanafriends.com/eve/forums/a/frm/f/26110829731 14. Top 10 Indian Films. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/imagineasia/guide/poll/india/02_pather.html 17
15. Sholay: The movie, the cult, the legend. Movie news. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sholaythe-movie-the-cult-the-legend/47785-8.html 16. Yeh Dialogue Film Hai. http://yeh-dialogue-filmi-hai.blogspot.com/ 17. 25 Must See Bollywood Movies. http://movies.indiatimes.com/Special-Features/25-MustSee-Bollywood-Movies/articleshow/msid-1250837,curpg-1.cms
18