Have you ever thought about whether your everyday choices are really your own, or if someone, somewhere, is influencing them? From what you eat to where you study and the way you spend your life may be more influenced by business.
In this eye-opening podcast episode, Vasu Dev Kaushik sits down with renowned business coach Basesh Gala to uncover the hidden truth behind India’s biggest industries—and how a few powerful business families have silently taken control over what we eat, how we learn, and even what we believe.
This discussion doesn’t provoke some questions—it provokes the very beliefs that you had about freedom, consumerism and success.
The Illusion of Freedom
We live in an age where freedom is often mistaken for choice. You can choose your favorite food brand, your school, your news channel—but who really controls those options?
Basesh Gala explains that most industries today are built on strategic consumer programming. Whether it’s education, healthcare, or media, we are being guided—not by what’s best for us—but by what’s best for profit.
It’s a powerful system designed to make you feel free, while keeping you within an invisible economic loop.
The Education Trap: Learning to Obey, Not to Think
Education is meant to empower minds. But in reality, the system often trains students to become employees, not entrepreneurs.
As Basesh points out, “Most schools don’t teach you financial independence or critical thinking. They prepare you to fit into someone else’s company, someone else’s dream.”
From private schools to coaching institutions, education has become a multi-billion-dollar business, creating consumers, not creators. We pay to learn—but end up being taught how to work for the same people who own these institutions.
Food and FMCG: The Taste of Control
Walk into any supermarket and look around. From snacks to cereals, from soaps to beverages – the majority of the brands you love are owned by a small number of multinational companies. These corporations use psychology, marketing, and chemicals designed to create addiction to influence our cravings and behavior. What feels like personal choice is often the result of years of consumer conditioning.
As Basesh explains, “Even your taste buds are trained to respond to what big brands decide is profitable.”
It is not just unhealthy eating; it is about control. The food industry is adept at keeping you dependent and wanting more without you even knowing it.
Media and Belief Systems: The Impact of Narrative
The media is meant to inform you, however, instead it can often determine what we believe. Whether it be news, entertainment, or trends on social media, every message is crafted to be a part of a narrative, a narrative made for you by somebody else.
From politics to products, your emotions are constantly being monetized. The goal is not to enlighten—but to engage, sell, and control public opinion.
Basesh notes, “When you control information, you control belief. And when you control belief, you control behavior.”
Banking and Insurance: The Business of Fear
Money runs the world—and banks know it best. Many people are unknowingly caught in a cycle of debt, credit cards, and loans.
Insurance companies play another psychological game, selling fear as security. While protection is necessary, the fine print often hides systems built to benefit corporations more than consumers.
Basesh reveals that these industries thrive on your lack of financial literacy. The less you know, the more dependent you become.
Real Estate and Healthcare: Profit Over People
Even our most fundamental needs—shelter and health—have been commodified.
Real estate prices rise more quickly than salaries, leaving many unable to buy a house. Hospitals, likewise, act as corporations where service is scripted, and treatment plans are often generated by a business agenda.
The empirical idea is straightforward: keep humans distracted enough to pursue security and comfort.
Breaking Free: Awareness Is the First Step
So, what can you do about it?
You may not be able to dismantle the system overnight, but you can start by becoming aware and intentional.
Here’s how:
- Educate yourself financially. Learn about money management, investments, and entrepreneurship.
- Consume consciously. Before buying or believing, ask: Who benefits from this?
- Support local businesses. Empower small producers instead of feeding monopolies.
- Question what you see. Every advertisement and headline has an agenda—find the truth behind it.
- Build your independence. Focus on skills that give you freedom, not just stability.
Basesh Gala emphasizes, “Real success begins when you stop living as a programmed consumer and start thinking as a conscious creator.”
