Yogakshemam 07102020
We may learn. But, can we unlearn? Unlearn appears to be more an emphasis. New knowledge replaces old ‘knowledge’ as individuals learn more. It may not be overwriting. It may be simple update. Deeper update. It may reduce the likelihood of earlier behaviour. It may be that – unlearning and learning occur simultaneously. Learning is more than fact gathering and acquiring knowledge. It is essentially a ‘sense-making process’ – interpreting and creating meaning of the experiences. Unlearning is about modifying the way we ‘make sense’. It also includes modifying the existing understanding. It is a process of liberation from the earlier conditioning. It involves intentional evaluation of self, task and the environment to determine if a change in the current situation and behaviour is necessary and possible. Mindfulness, ability to read contextual cues, openness to explore other possibilities and meta-cognitive ability are key enablers for this unlearning process. Getting ready for moving from existing skills to new skills that are required is also unlearning. In some sense, it is seeing ‘avyakta’ (undiscovered, unarticulated) with new lenses discovered, invented or innovated. Meta-learning, therefore, includes assessing needs, unlearning, sourcing the ways to learn, learning, and learn planning ahead and beyond.
Thus, unlearning can happen at both the individual (assumptions, mental models, habits, response patterns etc.) and at the organization level (beliefs, paradigms, norms, rules, procedures, strategies etc.).
We also need to transcend to-do lists, to calendaring/scheduling/timeboxing. This would mean prioritizing items on the to-do-list(s); planning for co-working/collaborating by fixing time-slots, timelines; sharing the calendar(s); and keeping record of the work done and noting/e-noting. This brings in some way of time control, efficiency and productivity.
On my birthday today, I remembered an unusual mentor SR Sankaran. Today happens to be his death anniversary. A Lok Vyakti. People’s IAS Officer. Mentored civil servants and concerned citizens; unveiled 1000+ Ambedkar statues; contributed to enforcing Abolition of Bonded Labour Act; co-founded along with me, and chaired Sahayog Community Coordination Network; co-founded convener of Concerned Citizen’s Committee; and mentored Safai Karmachari Andoloan to reduce the number significantly (a million plus). When rested in 7 October 2010 at Hyderabad as a Telugu, he just had one flat in Hyderabad as his property.
Born on 22 October 1934 at Thanjavur, Sankaran was a first-in-the-class BCom Hons graduate from American College, Madurai and a lecturer in the same college before he entered into IAS AP Cadre in 1956. Collector – Adilabad, Khammam, Nellore. Chief Secretary, Tripura for 6 years. Secretary, Rural Development, Government of India. Commissioner of the Panel on food security by Supreme Court. He was behind Nationalization of Coal Mines; Single line administration Integrated Tribal Development Agencies – Tribal Sub Plans; Social Welfare/Tribal Welfare Residential Schools – Gurukualms; Ashram Schools in Tribal Areas. He was a captive of People’s War Group at Gurtedu for a short-time. He was the chief negotiator for talks between naxallites and state government.
Hundreds of civil servants and thousands of development workers were/are his Arjunas and Ekalavyas. While we worked in tribal areas, Sankaran has visited to see self-help groups of tribal women and slowly internalized that women form groups and save money, because they want to save, not because they have surpluses. When he co-founded and chaired CCN, he told us that we could not use his name, we could not seek foreign funds and our professionals should be with the community 24×7 in sync with the community and be accountable to them. The concept of community coordination teams has evolved and replicated on scale in SERP, NRLM and beyond. Local animator teachers in the tribal communities together with outside facilitating professionals working with people’s institutions with their ethos intact – a new paradigm outlined.
He graduated into a people’s life worker post-retirement. He denied post-retirement positions. He denied state awards. When I met, every time, we kept counting the number of Ambedkar Statues unveiled. He was looking at this as a way of empowering poor, vulnerable and marginalized – in terms of identity, solidarity, capability, rights and therefore, wellbeing and freedom. He always recounted the new learning. He recounted the violations of our rights. High levels of eternal learning personified. He has been a yogi. An aarjava yogi. A karma gyan yogi. He has been simplicity personified. Extremely minimal living needs. Humility personified. Integrity personified. May be, this has come in the way of he becoming a Director, LBSNAA.
Only after his resting, his statue, may be a first for a bureaucrat, was unveiled in front of the office of the Department of Social Welfare, GoAP (at that time), Hyderabad. A two-volume publication: Marginalisation, Development and Resistance: Essays in Tribute to SR Sankaran, was released. Malavath Purna, the youngest woman to scale the highest peak, Mount Everest, in May 2014, carried Sankaran’s photograph to the peak.
Sankaran is an unusual mentor I had, I have, will have.
Let us go mentoring. Let us meta-learn For 7L.
Join us in the world of yoga of leading life of local coexistence – janayojanayoga for 7L.
G Muralidhar