There’s an old Hindi saying, हम सब एक ही हमाम में नंगे हैं. It translates to, “In a Turkish bath, everyone is exposed, or naked.” The meaning is not meant to be obscene in any way. It goes far deeper than humor or wordplay. It’s a reminder that under certain conditions, especially those of pressure, crisis, or change, life strips away our masks. Status, wealth, and polish fade. What remains visible is a person’s character. We are all equal and revealed in our vulnerabilities.
In boardrooms, factories, or families, we wear many cloaks of confidence, restraint, tact, or diplomacy. But the true measure of a person is often revealed not when all is well, but when the heat turns up. Like in a sauna.
1. The Conference Room Test
In a large corporate firm in Mumbai, the CEO announced an unexpected cost review. Whispers spread instantly. Travel budgets would be slashed, and team sizes cut. At first, every leader in the room nodded solemnly, echoing phrases like “Yes, we’ll all share the burden.” But as the meeting unfolded, facades began to melt like wax under heat.
One manager immediately began lobbying to retain his overseas travel budget by calling his projects “mission-critical.” Another subtly redirected responsibility toward a junior team. Yet amidst the scramble, a quiet leader spoke up: “Why not take a 15% salary cut at the leadership level first? That will balance some of the cost pressure before affecting those below.”
There was silence. What had begun as a routine meeting had become a mirror. The Turkish bath moment had arrived. Authority, hierarchy, self-preservation all stood bare. Some acted from fear, others from fairness. In that exposure, the organization saw who truly led, and who merely managed.
2. The Flood and the Fence
Years later, in a small town on India’s western coast, a heavy monsoon flood washed away boundaries. Water levels rose, and fences, once dividing neighbors, disappeared overnight.
In one house lived Meera, known for her privacy and perfection. Across the street stayed Ahmed, a retired teacher, often quiet, occasionally misunderstood for his sternness. When waters entered their homes, Meera found herself stranded with her elderly mother. Ahmed waded through waist-deep water with his old boat and silently ferried them to safety.
Over the next few days, as they all sheltered in a nearby school, roles dissolved. The wealthy and the humble, the official and the laborer, the reserved and the outspoken shared space, food, and anxiety. Meera would later recall, “In those five days, I learned more about my neighbors than in the last fifteen years.”
The flood became the metaphorical Turkish bath — it stripped away pretenses, privilege, and boundaries, revealing the shared humanity hidden beneath everyday roles.
3. The Silent Resignation
At another global firm, an internal audit exposed regulatory lapses. The easy route was blame, and several tried exactly that. But one middle manager, who had flagged compliance weaknesses months earlier, quietly submitted his resignation letter with a note: “Integrity questioned is integrity lost.”
Months later, when the investigations cleared him completely, the company invited him back, this time into a senior risk management role.
His decency, though invisible in promotion cycles, shone brightest in adversity. Stripped of hierarchy and reputation games, what remained visible was principle, the most difficult clothing to wear in a corporate Turkish bath.
4. The flights chaos
The IndiGo crisis is a live example of “In a Turkish bath, everyone is naked” in the modern corporate arena, where a single operational failure has stripped bare the true priorities, preparedness, and values of multiple stakeholders at once. A rule change in pilot duty-time was notified months in advance, yet IndiGo did not plan adequate crew or roster adjustments, leading to over a thousand cancellations and nationwide disruption, exposing gaps in governance, risk planning, and respect for frontline staff. At the same time, airports descended into scenes of stranded passengers, poor communication, and long queues, revealing how customer-centricity often exists more in branding than in behavior when pressure peaks.
The key lesson for all of us is this: Crisis does not create culture. Crisis exposes culture. In moments like IndiGo’s meltdown, leaders, boards, regulators, and even consumers are all standing in the same “Turkish bath or steam room”, all exposed, and only those anchored in foresight, transparency, accountability, and genuine empathy for the end user emerge with their credibility intact.
5. The Planet’s Steam Room
Perhaps the most fitting Turkish bath today is not in marble halls but under the sky itself. Climate change, pollution, and vanishing forests have pushed humanity into one shared space, a global steam room of consequence. In this crisis, nations, industries, and individuals stand exposed.
For decades, some countries lectured others on sustainability while quietly outsourcing emissions. Corporations marketed “green” facades while chasing quarterly profits. But now, nature has raised the temperature, quite literally, and the steam no longer hides hypocrisy. Floods, droughts, and fires do not distinguish between rich and poor, developed or developing.
When the earth heats, all masks melt. The same air is inhaled by a CEO and a farmer. The same melting glacier floods a city and a village. True sustainability demands acknowledging that we are all equally vulnerable participants in a shared ecosystem.
The organizations now leading the way are those that admit their past excesses and act transparently by reducing waste, designing for circular economies, and listening to science instead of silencing it. Just as in a corporate crisis, authenticity becomes the currency of credibility. Only when we accept collective exposure can collective healing begin.
Lessons from the Heat of the Turkish Bath
Every organization faces its Turkish bath moments in terms of layoffs, crises, shifts in power, or sudden public scrutiny. How leaders behave then defines not just their image, but their culture’s soul.
1. Adversity reveals authenticity. When the fog lifts, intentions show.
2. Transparency builds trust faster than perfection. People rally behind honest imperfection.
3. Character compounds like interest. Every ethical choice strengthens a hidden reservoir we will need later.
4. Power and pretense are fragile garments. Only fairness and humility survive the steam.
The Cleansing Within
Perhaps that’s why the phrase “In a Turkish bath, everyone is exposed or naked” resonates across eras and professions. Whether in a rural flood or a corporate reorganization, the heat of truth equalizes everyone. When the moisture of fear and ego evaporates, authenticity becomes the only attire left.
Leaders who understand this don’t protect their image. They protect their integrity. They don’t fear exposure. They fear detachment from truth.
In work, life, and relationships, the real Turkish bath is not external. It is the moment where life turns the temperature up, and we meet ourselves honestly in the mirror of circumstance.
When the steam rises and illusion fades, those who stood true shine through the mist. Unadorned, human, and unforgettable.
“Circumstances don’t make people; they reveal them.” — Epictetus
