Yogakshemam 18102020
Remembered: TS Rajan. My classmate, colleague who rested very early in life. His annual memorial lectures at IRMA remind the world about him.
Remembered: Shashi Rekha Rajagopalan. Ramareddy and Cooperative Development Foundation. Sriram reminded us about Shashi the other day. She was the face of CDF as long as she was in CDF. CDF was behind the enactment of Mutually Aided Cooperative Societies (MACS) Act, in AP and replicated or incorporated in some way in many states. CDF went on to help existing cooperatives to transit to new Acts or facilitate to new cooperatives under the new Acts. Central Cooperative Act, and the Producers’ Company have the ethos of the new Acts with more freedom for members. More progressive and member-centric Societies’ Act has also come up in Telugu states, due to CDF’s efforts. We are involved in this journey in a small way, thanks to Shashi and Rama Reddy. In fact, Rama Reddy, along with Tom Carter, had taken us (select students of our IRMA class) through ‘Logic of Cooperatives’. We discuss CDF, Rama Reddy and the Cooperative Initiative Panel consisting of Dr Kurien, Mohan Dharia and LC Jain some other time.
When Shashi became independent consultant, she served on the Boards and Committees of RBI and NABARD. She worked with small organizations. Most of us are struggling to emulate her unsuccessfully in writing personal annual reports. She worked for effect, for principles, for spirit. Her Lakshmi’s Tea Shop is a classic case on micro-enterprise. Her diligence included crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘I’s. She has been/is a mentor without her knowledge to many. Her spirit continues in us.
18 October. Aswayuja Sukla Dwitiya. Swati Nakshatra followed by Visakha Nakshatra.
This day takes me to commit: angel investments, micro, tiny but to the needy and competent, at least one investment a month, and small investment, once/twice a year; scholarships to be mobilized, at least 5 a year; counselling to meaningful leadership-management-entrepreneurship programmes/courses, at least 10 individuals a year; increased time with/for the alma maters – schools, graduation, PG et al, together 1000 hours a year. Let the work on this agenda begin soon.
Each one of us have a threshold capacity to hold people – physically, emotionally and intellectually. There is a continuums in our capacities. Some can take more numbers. Some can take long hours. Some can take intimacy deeper. Some need private spaces. Some watch. Some lead. Some proactive. Some get exhausted soon in interactions. Some have sparks flying. Therefore, we need to be sensitive and appreciating the differences and variations. Then our relationships thrive. Friendships survive long.
What is normal now, might not have been earlier; and may not be normal in future. Normal keeps changing with times, contexts etc. Till such time, norms of today may consider somethings as abnormalities and disabilities. Satyam vada, na apriyam; priyam vada na asatyam. Tell the truth, but do not hurt; tell good and sweet, but noy untruth. How do we do this? Is it OK to keep quiet? Is it possible?
Do we really want our women and men to be more ambitious? There is no evidence to conclude that confidence makes up good workers. Ambition does not always pay. We need to hire our co-workers based on competency and capability. Not on ambition, confidence, and charisma.
Can the healthcare be nationalized, or regulated, or can we have transparent norms? For-profit private hospitals may not be more than 10% or so? Insurance and Government schemes may have to cover ‘all’ ailments-treatments. Can we have free medical education at all levels? Medical education has to include teamwork, soft skills and patient-centric processes. Across, can we have decent remunerations to all healthcare workers, professionals? Can we limit the surpluses to reasonable minimum? Can we have health education in the schools? Can we go natural – food-nutrition-health-immunity consumption? Can we have better hygiene? Safety? Can state invest into these?
Can the state give the care and education free from 1000-days upward till the age of 18, till they enter graduation?
Heart 2 Heart Talk Session 10, last of the season, with Tushar Shah. One thought struck many of us: Can IRMA rethink, re-vision and become more relevant for today’s needs? Go Tribal-Rural-Urban-Emerging, TRUE. Be with Poor, Vulnerable and Marginalized, PVM; Go for Livelihoods-Poverty Reduction-Development, LPRD. Go Leadership, transcending Management. Go Livelihoods-Leadership-Entrepreneurship-Mentoring. Go Nature. Go Meta. Go Scale. More, Beyond. Soon. Next Year is Kurien100. Let us seed this by then. We need mentors, champions, leaders for these seeds. Of course, we have Aneja, Tushar, senior faculty and senior Alumni as friends, philosophers and guides. We need spiritual resources. Financial, we may manage, like we did earlier.
Seven sisters – Leesa, Jayapadma, Priya, Mythili, Shilpa, Saleela, Ruchi – have done a wonderful job with 500 personal hours pouring into making these 10 sessions. And they have to do some curating work before they send the videos et al out.
Now it is time to pace up the Conversations with Development Practitioners – Masters/Legends, Champions, and Successful New Entrants. We need to hurry up on the listing, volunteers, multiple ways of conversing and taking conversations, and logistics. These will help us to go up with N through Development Leadership, transcending Management. Transcending Economic Livelihoods into living and life. Transcending to third and fourth bottomlines, and taking bottomlines to toplines. Slowing down the extinction and stretching the window to action.
Can we scale N? If N takes us up. N can take us up if we be with N and feel N from deep within and without.
N is looking for our coexistence. Locally. Fully. Being useful. For 7L.
Join us in the world of yoga of scaling coexistence in N, of N and U – adhirohanayoga for 7L.
G Muralidhar