The importance of secondary communication is always under-played and under- valued. People always consider it as cheap methodology, dramatization and distortion of facts. It is also considered as misleading. But what we forget that the secondary communication always helps in conveying the gist, the important and the vital theme of primary communication in a more presentable manner. It is just like a decorative piece, a conveyance vehicle for the prime theme. Looked from the objective and priority, that the primary communication should hit the nail, the importance of secondary communication can easily be realized. But seen in isolation the secondary communication is confusing, misleading as it could be based on under utter falsehood. So it is audience dependant, situation dependent and purpose dependant. If you are speaking on a subject, which is under discussion and debate, there the secondary communication goes as a supportive to primary communication. It brings down the undesirable or to be precise the additional weight and gravity of the situation. Here the role of secondary communication is very limited and restrictive other than maintaining a comfort zone of communication. Let me here, give an example to convey what exactly I mean by primary communication and secondary communication, for in the world of management jargons, the meaning of management terminologies float and vacillate are never allowed to settle down and like management solutions, they too become situation dependents.
It is way back in the mid of year 1978, to be precise in the month of June of year 1978. I had just completed my High School and was in the verge of taking admission in the college to continue my study in Science stream. In those days much of the Science was not taught in High school. What children study now a day in their eighth standard Science book, the same topics were taught to us in college if you opt for Science stream. If you choose any other streams for example Commerce or Arts in the college, then your knowledge of science is restricted to knowing the spelling of word, ‘SCIENCE’.
And if you are a donkey-head or pig-head like me (I am sure, you are not so, because all of you can not be a clone of Einstein who does not remember small things) then you will say, oh, Science, my distance relative, very nice person but no meet, no correspondence since several years. Must be busy. I am too. No time, yaar!
What I was saying? Yes, I was about to take admission in college. I contacted some of the seniors in my village who have completed their Graduation or Master in science. One of them suggested teaching me Science that is taught in college before I enter into college. Though I was not that enthusiastic, my parents forced me to go to that person and learn Science. In first few days he taught me ‘Atomic Structure’, the Thomson’s Model, the Rutherford’s Model and the Bohr’s model describing the structure of an atom. He had his style of his teaching. He used say the full name of the scientist for example N.Bohr, he will say as Niels Henrik David Bohr.
I have a South Indian friend whose name is R.S.V.H. RAJA BABU and another friend from North India whose name is P.K.J. DUNG DUNG. We always crack joke about their relatively longish names and in fact to R.S.V.H. RAJA BABU we say A TO Z RAJA BABU. I always wonder if Niels Henrik David Bohr had faced similar problem, because his name is certainly lengthier than average.
Yes, coming back to my study of science, I am not going to put you under stress by describing three atomic models taught to me by the senior of my village. I know all of you know about ATOMIC STRUCTURE. Now let us look into pedagogy adopted by that person while teaching me science. He would tell me long stories about Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr. He also told me that Rutherford was a student of Thomson and Bohr was a student of Rutherford and all of them were Nobel Prize winners. He would say me how Bohr had found out the flaws in planetary model of Atomic structure described by Rutherford but he was reluctant to publish those because of the awe and respect he had for his teacher Rutherford and later on Rutherford found out the thesis of the Bohr; he was bemused by the brilliant work carried out by Bohr and persuaded him to publish his theory on Atomic structure, there by discharging the duty of a true teacher. He would say me how Thomson cried profusely and openly out of happiness when his student Rutherford received the Nobel Prize. The role of Thomson in publication of thesis of Rutherford for the later was also reluctant to publish that. Hence the entire Atomic theories taught to me were laced with stories and emotions.
Fortunately none of them among Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr were a lady, otherwise he would have told me story of love, betrayed, union, separation, and reunion along with emotion. Do not blame me for this remark. Watch any of the soap opera in Indian television you will understand that and my non-Indian friends can recall the story of MONICA LEWINSKY.
Later on when I went to college, I had no problem with Atomic theories and till today I can explain to you, Atomic theories with its associated stories and emotions. I have not verified the veracity of those stories, I have never tried too. But I am sure those are creations of his imagination. Of course, it is fact that all of them Thomson, Rutherford and Bohr worked together as juniors and seniors and all of them had own Nobel Prize. I do not know whether Thomson cried when Rutherford received the Nobel Prize and stories like that. Those are secondary communications for me. But those secondary communications have helped a weak-memory person like me to remember atomic structure, the primary theme even after twenty nine years.
A long period for a wife to forget husband’s face and for a husband to forget wife’s name. Who had a better memory? Now do not get too excited to answer that. In my language they say, what is so important in name and face when mind meets mind?
So the gist of the today’s MUNNA BHAI’S management theory is that the curry is never tasty without spice, hence communication is never complete without the secondary.
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