Saturday 22 September 2012

Samik Roy_BLP052_Self Leadership_September 2012


It was the first class at the beginning of a new trimester and it was to be taken by Anil sir. What more could we have expected? But it started on a different note. The atmosphere was gloomy. We had just lost two of our good friends in a tragedy and this was practically the first class without them. The class began with Anil sir asking us a question. ‘What is the impact of this incidence on us?’ This made us all think.
I felt that this incidence showed us how uncertain life is. We crib for better jobs, salary, but such mishaps changed our perspectives altogether. We do not know what is going to happen next , hence as rightly said in the Bhagwad Gita, “We should only concentrate to do our work and not have any expectations”. Thus we should stop worrying about future and enjoy our present to the fullest. As I was thinking about this, I kept on remembering an incidence from the Mahabharata where Dharmaraja in the form of Yaksha asked Yudhisthira the important question, “What is the most wonderful thing?” Yudhisthira answered, “The most amazing thing is that even though every day one sees countless living entities dying, he still acts and thinks as if he will live forever.”
As the session progressed, Anil sir showed us a video on “things to do before I die”. This showed the aspirations of dying people and how we should live every moment till the last. This video showed how people are enjoying life and rejoicing before accepting the ultimate truth of life.
We then learned about the Appreciative Inquiry process and what qualities are required for it to be done. As Anil sir explained, we understood that deep listening is an important element in appreciative inquiry.  One should listen as if his life is dependent on it. Deep listening and understanding comes when the listener will be able to empathise with the teller. When EQ of the listener is high, trust develops, which in turn leads to respect of each other.
We were asked to do appreciative enquiry of one of our classmates and I had the privilege to do appreciative enquiry of one the best persons I have ever met – Devendra. It was a great experience, and when I listened to him, I could realize that he is a great person with loads of talent of different kind, but is so down to earth to be with us always guiding about something or the other and sharing his knowledge in various aspects.
We concluded the day with our feedbacks about the session. Anil sir encouraged us to prepare a knowledge tree showcasing each member’s talent.
As I retrospect about the day’s activities, I keep on thinking how this art of appreciative inquiry will impact us. I feel that this activity will help in developing trust among people. The amount of positivity involved in this art will surely help people to realise their potential and gain self confidence, thus in the process re-discover themselves. I would like to end by mentioning an excerpt from a verse in Kathopanishada, where Nachiketa says, “Bahunamemi prathama, bahunamemi madhyama”, which means, “I may be superior to many and mediocre to many, but I am never the worst.”


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