A Yogic Approach to Development: An Awakening into Development

When I first attended the yoga class at the Academy, the only time I waited for was “Shanti-ashna”, where I sometimes fell into a deep sleep. I would say I was good at it because some of my friends even snored!

Shanti-ashna is, however, not simply lying flat on the ground; it is the point of maximum consciousness where our consciousness is given to all the parts of the body from internal organs to external organs, from head to toe. Yoga teaches consciousness in every action we do, whether we breathe, eat, sleep, rest, or work. Nothing is let alone to chance to just go on as it is. Leaving things or waiting for things to come naturally is unnatural, and will lead to uncertainties that we actually cannot anticipate. The Vedic saint Patanjali, who compiled the Yougsutra, says that “Yoga of consciousness is about developing the skills and abilities to raise our awareness of who we are, simultaneously releasing the limitations of who we are not.” Everything should be covered under consciousness for the truest neutrality to be expressed.

The (re)Beginning…

After an extremely long break in updating this site (over a year!) the Tata-Dhan Academy is happy to resume publishing with this video produced by the eight batch of PDM students titled “The Beginning…”

The video was produced as part of the “Audio-Visual Communication for Development” elective course offered with the support of DHAN Foundation’s Centre for Development Communication. Our sincere thanks go to P Krishnamurthi and his team who were able to put the polishing touches on this video.

The Adventures of Jeeva

“Severe flood in Orissa! 200 people dead!” flashed the television news announcement. Jeeva was watching Live Music, her favorite channel. Seeing the flash at the bottom, she switched the channel to DD News.

A Sunday Journey

By Mohd. Rashid

In my college days, going to sleep late and getting up late was the general schedule for me. One Sunday, though, I got up early and was busy getting ready to go to the book market at Daryaganj, New Delhi.

I asked Ahmed, my roommate, if he was coming with me. He replied, “Do not go today. I have had a bad dream about you.”

Giggle.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

As I mentioned in a comment in the last post, one of the classes offered this term for PDM 8 students is Specialized Writing. In this class, we try to go beyond simply writing term papers and reports, and explore different types of writing. One type of writing we were exploring was journalistic writing—in particular, writing a press release. Here are three press releases offered by the students in this class. (There were a few creative liberties taken, particularly in terms of quotations, since this was done as an in-class assignment, but I think they still manage to capture the spirit of the events).

Ping! Pong! Ping! Pong! . . .

Mate, Neelabh, Ananda, and Mahanthesh ping ponging away...

By Lim Mate

In TDA hostel.

Nobody knows about the existence of the wonder table which was hidden in the closet in a tight unserious garage-like room behind the library. Nobody was truly enthralled to get a hand with the flat red-black bat, hitting the feathery light golden ball bouncing on the table. In fact, it’s different from volleyball and cricket. Then the sports fortnight was about to begin.

What’s New?

It has been a while since I’ve even had a chance to visit this site, much less update it. But that’s because we’ve had a few busy months here at the Academy. So, what’s been going on?

Student Lenses

I started teaching at the Tata-Dhan Academy in the third term of the seventh batch of students undergoing the PDM—the Programme in Development Management. During that term, I taught a class in writing and another course in spoken communication, and it was very exciting for me to be back in the classroom again after more than a year without teaching. I knew, of course, that this classroom experience was only a fraction of what makes learning at the Academy interesting, but had not yet had much of a chance to see what the students really did in the field. I also knew that although I could teach English well, I did not really know much about what happened in the field beyond what I had read in a handful of student reports or heard about in student presentations. So, at the end of August in 2007, with my knowledgeable mentor and guide, Sangeetha, I got my first real chance to let the roles of student and teacher change, and have my students teach me about their field locations during my visits to them in the field.

Bihar Ethnic Dinner

Students of Tata-Dhan Academy follow a unique tradition of organizing ethnic dinners themed to represent one of the states represented by any of the participants in the batch. This time, it was the turn of state Bihar, and students of PDM 8 organized a cultural event in which students from Bihar shared information about their cultural, religious, and social practices; of course, regional food was also provided. It is the only event organized at the Academy where the students are the hosts and faculties and other staff members enjoy the supper.

Photos from BUD Lab 2

Here are a few photos from BUD Lab 2, PDM 8, Term 3. More coverage of the two-day lab—and possibly more photos—to come later.