'We fool you...': IIT Bombay's 'Pyramid of Capitalism' poster mocking India’s top leaders ignites controversy

 

A poster for an upcoming workshop on “South Asian Capitalism(s)” has drawn widespread criticism for replacing the “We Fool You” imagery of a historic anti-capitalist cartoon with likenesses of elected Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The event, co-organised by UC Berkeley, IIT Bombay, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is scheduled for September 12–13, 2025. Its poster presents a “Pyramid of Capitalist India” built on the backs of workers and farmers, echoing the century-old Pyramid of Capitalist System image, but with notable changes in who occupies the middle tiers.

A long lineage of anti-capitalist imagery

The imagery is adapted from the Pyramid of Capitalist System, a widely reproduced cartoon published in 1911 by the Industrial Worker, the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World. The original graphic, itself based on earlier European and Russian caricatures, illustrated a hierarchical social order under capitalism.

Workers formed the base, supporting soldiers, clergy, and elites, while a bag of money crowned the structure. Its core message: the entire system rests on the labor of the working class, and if that support were withdrawn, the pyramid would collapse.

In the 1911 version, the second tier labelled “We Fool You” featured clergy from different denominations, symbolising the role of religion in legitimising inequality. The IIT Bombay-linked poster, however, replaced that imagery with India’s top elected leaders, drawing attention to what critics see as a partisan substitution.

Online backlash against IIT Bombay

The poster was flagged on X by user @MehHarshit, who wrote: “IIT Bombay sponsors an event on South Asian Capitalism. Poster shows @AmitShah, @narendramodi, and @myogiadityanath with a caption ‘WE FOOL YOU’. No Maulana or Father shown; only a Hindu Monk in saffron robes. Why @iitbombay? @dpradhanbjp.”

Reactions accused the institute of crossing a line. One user said: “Humanities in IITs was an epic blunder.” Another argued: “Sitting govt leaders are being mocked with total impunity at an institution funded with tax-payers money and our left-libbies tell us there is no freedom of speech.”

Some comments went further, demanding structural changes at IITs: “Technical institutes should be immediately rid of the humanities, these scientific centres of excellence should be free of the poisonous leftist ideology.”

Another post questioned the use of public funds: “How could a govt educational institution abuse the govt this way? @EduMinOfIndia do you have an explanation for such lumpen behavior of @iitbombay? The money they are spending to sponsor such narcissistic event is our tax money and we demand an explanation.”

IIT Bombay responds

In response to the controversial post, IIT Bombay clarified how the institute was aunaware about the published flyer. In a clarification issued on X the institute wrote: 

"A post regarding a flyer of a workshop on South Asian Capitalism was brought to the attention of the Institute authorities. This workshop is to be held at University of Berkeley in partnership with UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts-Amherst for young scholars. IIT Bombay has a project related to New Political Economic Initiative. However, we were totally unaware about the published flyer."

The institute further clarified, "No one from IIT Bombay is attending the conference. The Institute was not at all consulted about the flyer. We are deeply shocked and upset by its content. The Institute will cease to associate with these faculty members from UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts-Amherst going forward. Further investigation into the matter will be conducted."

(The story has been updated with the response from IIT Bombay.)