Nayana's Stories

All parents at some point in life struggle to imbibe the right values the right discipline and the right performance standards. Each one sets certain standards for the child which the child has to achieve. Many times we hear children saying I owe my growth and performance to my parents there are some who say that my parents have left me totally alone without any restrictions and allowed me to flower by myself. So such parents may have set overall norms and values as a family in that culture. Most of the parents struggle between how soft, warm and touchy they are with the children and others struggle to be very strict about the boundaries and the norms that they set. If I reflect on my upbringing as an individual I would say that up to the time I got married my parents were strict with very strict standards of performance, values, and extra-curricular activities were forced upon us. I always felt that other parents are much softer towards their children.  Once I got married ...

  It is raining Gods and Gods, especially in India. There is Ram, there is Krishna, there is Mahavir, there is Ganesh, there is Shiva, there is Swaminarayan, there is Buddha, there is Hanuman, there is Jesus, and there is Allah. All the female deities of Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Laksmi, Sita, Parvati, and many more. We as Indians feel very obliged and guilty if we do not worship the gods. So every little temple or every little stone that is erected around is worshipped like a god. The blind faith does not allow us to reason out or make a choice on whom we will worship. Worshipping in temples has become a ritual of sanctity, purity, and dharma. Within these deities, there are sub- deities and sub- casts and each one feels I am right or the best to be worshiped. In this immense showering and raining of gods, there are also people who believe in all gods and are scared to make a choice. There are also some who believe in none and who rather be an atheist to be more conscious of h...

Many times in the social context one juggles with these two identities. At times one finds an immense comfort and solace in not having any power or status of being a VIP. Being one amongst the crowd is not having a face to show sitting in a corner with all the substantive-ness you may have. Ordinariness is also about the choice one makes in life irrespective of the competent and resourceful individual one may be. The VIP always looks for power and authority even in small things of life. He always wants to be first in the line, first in a row, and everywhere the first person to talk. His views and status are imposed on others in any social context or gatherings. At times, he pushes himself so much that others get humiliated and pressurized with his demands. He is also the person whom people laugh at behind his back. The ordinary people get all the work done through their own efforts, ability, and a silent power that they have on others. He is not flashy in his outlook yet very...

  It has been more than 2 decades since we started Manthan. As a small little centre to offer very deep level human process and organizational process to the world. We were three members in this journey and all of us had different capacities, different age contexts, and different aspirations for ourselves. I had just left IIM Ahmedabad after an intense research and faculty role. IIM was very alive with its laid down structures systems and institutional building process. What would we create or emulate for a tiny little centre that has a huge amount of energy, commitment, and a dream for ourselves? We grabbed every opportunity to learn new techniques, new competencies and new aspirations for the centre. I was an MBA with a degree in finance and OB research experience at IIM. The challenge for me was how do I develop new competencies in the field of behavioural science and human process. I paid a significant price of sacrificing family time to go for those learning experience...