2 schools of Grid
A simple visual test reveals why Indians spot the main character instantly while the West might struggle. Discover the hidden grid systems shaping how we see.
A fun read and experiment that reveals how Indians and the West see the world differently. Here's a quick experiment that'll blow your mind. Ready?
The Mars Test
Imagine you're from Mars. You know absolutely nothing about Earth's history, religion, or culture. Now, look at this famous painting:
Question: Who is the main character in this image?
Take a moment to look at it as a Martian. If you're like most people encountering this without context, you might initially think it's the center figure (Due to the whitespace and halo maybe). But wait—look at the extreme right. People seem to be looking elsewhere. There's some crowding slightly left of center too. Suddenly, it's not so obvious, is it?
Try this experiment with someone who has zero context about Christianity or Western art history. I guarantee they'll hesitate, maybe ask a few clarifying questions before confidently pointing to the "main character."
Now, let's try something different.
The Indian Approach
Take a look at this Indian political poster:
Same question: Who's the main character here?
Zero doubt. Immediate answer. No hesitation.
The difference is striking, isn't it?
The Secret Behind the Grids
This fascinating insight comes from Prof. Kirti Trivedi, whom I recently interviewed for The Gyaan Project (subscribe if you haven't!). According to him, this isn't just a coincidence. It's the result of two fundamentally different design philosophies.
India follows a Hierarchical/Semantic Grid - We arrange elements based on their importance and meaning. The most important person or the object gets the biggest space, the clearest position, and the most prominent placement. It's a meaning-first design.
The West follows a Geometric Grid - Elements are arranged based on visual harmony, mathematical proportions, and aesthetic balance. It's a beauty-first design.
Why Indians represent meaning better
In Indian art and design, hierarchy is everything. If you look at any traditional Indian poster, painting, or even a modern political banner, the scale directly reflects importance. Modi is the biggest because he's the most important. The person who actually paid for the banner will be in tiny text at the bottom or may not even exist.
As Prof. Trivedi explained in our upcoming conversation, this is deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. We don't find anything odd about representing people in different sizes based on their significance rather than their physical proportions.
Take this stunning example: a large sandstone stele of Mahavira from Madhya Pradesh, circa 10th century.
Even though the elephant (at the top) is naturally massive in real life, it's shown small compared to Mahavira. Why? Because Mahavira is the most important figure in this spiritual narrative. We represent meaning better.
The Western mastery of craft
This isn't about one approach being superior to the other. The Western geometric approach has its incredible strengths.
Swami Vivekananda once said something remarkable about Greek painters:
"They were so skilled at imitating nature that they could paint a piece of flesh so realistically that a dog might mistake the painting for real meat and try to bite it."
This captures the Western genius for realistic imitation. Creating a visual harmony so perfect.
The beauty lies in understanding that these are two different schools of Grid, each with its own logic and brilliance.
The Last Supper is geometrically balanced and artistically magnificent. But to understand who Jesus is, you need to know the story.
The Modi poster might not win design awards, but even a Martian would know who's in charge.
Curious to dive deeper? Stay tuned for the full episode with Prof. Kirti Trivedi on The Gyaan Project, releasing 16th July 2025, where we explore order, hierarchy, and the philosophy behind how we arrange the world around us.
What do you think? Did this experiment surprise you? Try it with your friends and let me know the results!