Closing the YEAR of the REALISATION

If you can refer to the post http://vitalenergy.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html you will know why i called 2009 a year of the REALISATION and whats with the naming of the years.

2009 saw me enriched in knowledge and almost completing my thesis and realising my strengths and weaknesses. i realised that i can actually do a thesis and also design execute and complete a research on my own.. my thesis took me through existing knowledge in 8 domains, 3 states, 5 districts, 19 villages and 22 institutions and scanned and met over 600 farmers out of which 464 were interviewed. That's a large sample to manage and conduct any damn thing on my own.

The year also saw me realise about my thought process. i was working on the same issues this year as the Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom and citing her works along with the other Nobel laureate Oliver Williamson. Our focus , fortunately, was not the same. it was a moment of pride to see my domain being honoured with global recognition.

the year saw me design the first course that i taught. Design Project Management , it was called for Strategic Design Management (SDM) Post Graduate students of the National Institute of Design (NID). Left me satisfied and convinced that i can teach well. The hard work that the students put in was not always reflected in their grades and i need to improve on that. The realisation that it is only a third of its type course in the world and the first in India was thrilling to some extent and challenging in all aspects. It left me wiser with many new ideas and almost baked material for publication. The highpoint was the last assignment which is a world class creation in a very very short duration of time. The achievement that the students took it up and actually did very well on it :) hats of to them. The critical fact not mentioned.. teaching DPM without much mathematics and i think we did fairly well.

The year saw me conduct a workshop for a group of women from Afghanistan. A challenge to design and deliver with no common language. The year also saw me conduct a 2-day workshop on contemporary HR issues along with Mridul in Faridabad and a guest lecture at NIRMA Institute of Development Studies, Ahmedabad . There were publications - a book chapter, two cases, and a second prize at a conference also. there was also fieldwork for a research project on institutional reforms in watershed institutions in AP.

The year was exceptionally good on the Social Entrepreneurship domain wherein i end up as advisor to four existing organisations - Bihar Development Trust, Kaushalya Foundation, Yardstick Services and the Entrepreneurship cell , Genesis at ISM. I am also being useful on a regular basis to Gurpawan , the founder of Genesis with his business idea which should soon hit the market.

The year started dull on IRMA Alumni Association front but ended up in comparatively better financial condition despite the global recession. The important facts are that we have been able to give the association a global flavour and initiate the decentralisation of the activities of the association. The association has made its mark in the ecosystem of IRMA and we see it becoming increasingly more important in the times to come. we ended the year with about 10 reunions across the globe which is the maximum for almost any alumni association across the world in a year with an alumni base of a little over 2000 spread all over the world.

The year ends on a note of realisation, there were many points when i let others decide for me and these did not augur well. Equally there were points when i let others decide and the decisions proved very helpful. The Method in the madness that underlies this is the clarity and the detail of the vision that guides the decision and not who makes the decision.

The year leaves me contemplating as i am still without a regular job that earns me regular income but not short of work.

Realisation in the YEAR of the REALISATION had meant to bring into concrete existence. With some amount of surety i realized that i have brought brand Bhammo into concrete existence. The consistent hard work , though often misunderstood, is likely to bear good fruit.

A tired man in the night says.. REALISATION dawns heavy at the end of a year and deep too !