Workshop – Poetics of Development
Poetics of Development
A Dialogical Workshop at Indus Business Academy (IBA), Bangalore,
Organized by IBA Center for C School, Bangalore
August 25, 2014
Introduction
Development is a multi-dimensional aspiration, struggle, Sadhana (striving) and process of change and transformation. So far mainstream discourse and practice of development mainly focuses on the hardcore, the issues of economics, politics and infrastructure and rarely explores the subtler dimension of development. Discourse of development is too prosaic and there is very little poetry in the mood and methods of the advocates, engineers and executives of development. While there is some effort in exploring and reflecting upon the pathways like art and development, there is very little effort in exploring the poetics of development. Such an exploration includes exploring new visions of human development and earth realization coming from many traditions of poetry from classical to the contemporary. It also includes exploring the way new songs and poems of life, culture and society gets written during the course of development work carried out by manifold actors of development such as social movements and voluntary organizations. But very rarely even social movements and voluntary organizations write poems about the experience of their work with people. Poetics of development is also missing in the so-called valorized discourse of alternative human development coming from scholars such as Amartya Sen. In Sen’s pathways of human development there is focus on functioning and capability but where is our nurturance of and devotion to creativity? Even where is poetry in the current discourse of happiness and human development. True, in the Bhutanese version there is emphasis on protecting cultural diversity but where are we encouraged to write poems, sing songs as part of our interlinked journey of transformation from Anna to Ananda, food to freedom.
The workshop was initiated by lighting of the lamp and a subsequent address by Dr. Subhash Sharma, Director-IBA Bangalore, welcoming all the participants. There was a brief introductory session where all the participants introduced themselves followed by Dr. Ananta Kumar Giri taking a session over Poetics of Development. The next session was taken by Dr, Subhash Sharma where he introduced participants to his Development Rhymes, after which discussions took place and everybody took to lunch.
In the post lunch sessions with Prof. Meera Chakraborty, Prof. Ramakrishnan, Prof. Deshpande and Ms. Sudha as moderators, participants took to open ended discussions and shared their experiences which contributed in making the workshop a wonderful knowledge enriching experience.
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