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THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH :Exploring the Inner and Outer Dimensions of Transformation by Varun Vidyarthi.
I. BEGINNINGS OF THE SEARCH
Asking the right questions and searching for honest answers is perhaps fundamental to any process of evolution. I was fortunate to begin this quest early in life. While working as an engineer in a major Indian multinational company, I remember examining the hierarchy and the leadership in the organization. It appeared that climbing up the ladder of hierarchy was the goal that every person pursued. But where did the ladder go ? Being the executive assistant of the leader of the organization, I could closely watch the leader’s life and personality. Deep within I was not impressed. I was facing the truth of my life defined by the circumstances of my living, the movement ahead and the seeming destination.
I asked myself : Is this life ? A constant struggle to achieve something one is not completely sure of ? I still remember a poem I had written in a busy crankshaft production unit humming with the noise of hundreds of machines. There is illusion of coming light As I grope through the dark, The more I try to reach it The darkness increases, Though at times there is an illusory spark. The sparkling moments are comforting But I’d rather avoid them, As what follows is exasperating, More confusion, more darkness Seemingly everlasting. Meanwhile, the rank and file Continue their toil For what they do not know. Craving for more power, Trying to satisfy their ego. Struggling during the day, Preparing at night In this world of today Have we come here to fight ? Oh Lord ! lead, kindly light. Several years later, I found myself asking similar questions but in a different context.
I had abandoned a rosy career in engineering and was working among the poor in rural India. My experimentation with technical interventions like solar cookers, improved cookstoves or biogas plants had relatively little impact on the lives of the poor. Their lives were full of problems and I was hoping to work towards improvement in their living conditions. However, I was engaged with issues that did not carry priority in the lives of people.
I asked myself : What am I trying to achieve ? For what real purpose ? More importantly: Who is trying to achieve : Is it I or the people ? In the mid eighties, peoples’ participation had become a valued goal and I , together with my wife Amla, had started looking for participatory solutions for problems of everyday living.
We worked with groups of different kinds : artisan groups, farmer groups, youth groups. In most cases, the groups did ‘achieve’ something. For example, a carcass flayers group was ‘successful’ in winning an auction bid which enabled them to work for their own community organization rather than work as wage labourers for others who merely invested in winning the auction for lifting dead animals in an area. Some youth groups were successful in making a village road through ‘Shramdaan’ (voluntary contribution of labour).
Similarly, we assisted a weaver’s community in a village to install a warping drum so that they could get their warps ready at the village level itself though collective effort. Otherwise they had to go a long distance at huge cost and time investment. People involved in each case did go through a positive experience. But we soon discovered that the process was not sustainable.
There was little participation or collective decision making in reality and benefits were usually hijacked by a few. Besides, there was often a lack of transparency in the use of funds which sometimes produced violent conflicts. As outsiders, we could not possibly be with people all the time and wondered what kind of institutional mechanism would enable people to deal with their problems themselves. I had read considerable literature on participation and empowerment. But in real life situation, it all appeared as “nice words” only.
The situation was made more challenging by the fact that we were dealing with high levels of contradictions and conflicts among people we worked with : feudal mindsets, deeply imbued caste differences, powerful gender divisions and extremely low literacy levels ( usually less than ten percent ). We were aware that every society is faced with contradictions of various kinds and the ability to deal with them is the essence of social change. We were, therefore, concerned with development of processes and methods that could deal with such contradictions to have learning inputs for use elsewhere.
The challenge was not just to work towards improvement in the lives of a few hundreds or thousands, but for dealing with problems in a manner that lead to meaningful and sustainable social change, especially among the rural poor in India.
II. WORKING ON THE OUTER DIMENSION : THE PROCESS OF SELF HELP
A. The Ground Level Scenario In the late eighties, the process of self help was little practiced or understood among development workers or institutions in Uttar Pradesh. The concept made excellent sense in theory, but to work on that basis seemed impractical.
An average rural inhabitant had become accustomed to receive grants and services from the government or other donors in various forms – be it a grant/subsidy for a ‘pucca’ brick house, a revenue generating asset like a milch buffalo or a neighbourhood asset like a deep bore handpump. We could observe that a constant process of giving something for free to an impoverished population produced mindsets that lead to a dependency syndrome. It produced a will to get more rather than to work for it. The notion of development itself had become distorted in the minds of people. We could also clearly see that the development approach and the attitude of the functionaries itself was responsible for such a state of affairs.
The job of a development worker had become reduced to distribution of the ‘cake’ offered by the government/donors to people living below poverty line. Everyone seemed busy in finding ways of getting a share of that ‘cake’. Development of local institutions, transparency, accountability, leadership, ownership, participation, sustainability, collective decision making or even justice and empowerment were issues relegated to the background. These words seemed to have lost their relevance. Yet everyone was busy meeting targets, presenting achievements in prescribed formats. Much of the money meant for the people was being gobbled up by the huge administrative machinery itself, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly.
A senior political leader of the era had formally acknowledged that only fifteen percent of the resources meant for the poor actually reached them. It was unfortunate that the notion of working for a cause was replaced by material pursuits, often ending up in mismanagement and waste. The sector of development and social change, a noble occupation for many, had fallen in the eyes of many people. In fact, I often wondered whether it would be possible to achieve anything meaningful in such a development scenario. It was only faith in the power of Truth that enabled us to keep going.
B. Igniting the Spark of Self Help Despite the challenges of such a working environment, we went ahead with the idea of promoting self help among the poorest section of population. We felt that this was the only path that seemed sensible from the longer term perspective of meaningful social transformation, a path that enabled the poor to deal with their problems and that had the potential to restore dignity in their lives. We started a process of open-ended, deep dialogue with people. Long discussions over several meetings would ignite sparks in the minds of some, but they would soon be extinguished by others unwilling to believe or those who felt threatened by an outsider contacting the poor. The initial attempts were like moving one step ahead and falling two steps behind. However, patience and persistence paid and the human spirit among people triumphed.
Many persons believed that it was through self help that they first tasted freedom in their lives. I recently recorded a conversation with a Self Help Group leader about the beginnings of the programme in his village ( year 1994 ). These are his words ( Quoted in Vidyarthi and Wilson, 2008 ): “The first (self-help) group met for five to six months. Then people came to know that a group has been formed, and the big people started opposing it. They stopped renting out their land, stopped giving credit. When we started a school, they would send big boys to play gulli-danda (a local game) there so that we come under pressure to close down the school;… We never got full wages.
If we worked for five days, they would give wages for three days only. Even the wage rate was Rs 15 only. When we started saving and formed some capital and started benefiting, then people stopped taking loan from them. Only then we got independence.” Self Help was not just a concept for discussion. It was a practical tool for application in work and life after due reflection, individually and collectively. The collective commitment for the process was reflected by willingness of members of a group to put in a monthly deposit. The pooled capital allowed the group to give emergency loans to members having emergency needs. Such collective efforts quickly spread to several villages. But these groups soon ran into problems. We realized that though money had the power to bind people, it could also be the cause of disharmony and conflict in the absence of a proper management system.
C. Development of Management Systems : For the People, By the People We were not amazed to find that handling of cash at group level is not a simple exercise. There was always a tendency of misuse by the person who kept it and soon people experienced that cash was not available at the time needed. The nearest bank branch was usually several kilometers away and the exercise of deposit and withdrawal of small amounts from the bank was unthinkable. This is when the concept of a cash box emerged. A small tin box with a latch, a small lock and key to match, became central to the process. The locked box was kept by one member, the keys by another. The two came together during meetings only. The group could now match the cash in box with the record of the transactions . This ensured reliability and transparency in accounts. But who would keep the record of transactions ? This riddle was not easy to solve as most members were illiterate.
The simplest answer was, of course, that we, the promoters of the group, continue to write their accounts. However, this was not a permanent solution. How long could an outside agency provide free services ? The riddle had to be solved. We started working towards the system of a paid local accountant called ‘Munim’. Most groups opposed the idea at start. Who wants to pay when free services are available ? Besides people thought that a local accountant would not be reliable.. For resolving the issue, we had to go back to the basics of self help. The message was clear :
With some experimentation and persistence, the groups understood. A well maintained accounts system in illiterate groups is now part of a wonderful phenomenon that people come to see from all parts of the state. No management system is complete without inbuilt checks and controls. With such high levels of contradictions in society , collective decision making by people was not free from conflicts, procedures were not free from risks of non compliance, relationships could get disturbed with the drop of a hat.
The self help groups ran into scores of problems created by outsiders and insiders alike. Examples given above are only indicative of early struggles in the promotion of self management methods. Problems of non compliance, non recovery of dues, mistakes in accounts, leadership struggles, were some of the several challenges faced by self help groups over time. Suffice to say that such challenges were resolved with a systematic approach through dialogue and learning from the groups themselves. This learning was the key to effective management and success of self help groups.
D. Values and Leadership at Local Level Several habits and prejudices are created among the poor in the struggle for survival. Initial successes or failures also create their own obstacles to progress. It is through an inner strength and special qualities of leadership that enables a group to overcome the ordeals and difficulties in its path. At the same time, over dependence on a person and absence of vigilance can also contribute to increased problems. Issues of leadership, therefore, constitute one of the biggest challenges of evolution and progress of self help groups. We found that, in the initial stage, there was a need for regular guidance and grooming of members to take initiative and leadership roles. We did this through training and discussion on challenges facing their lives. For example, whenever a discussion was facilitated on the subject of inner discipline among group members, the women members pointed towards excessive alcohol consumption and family violence by men. Other subjects like caste rivalry or role of men in household affairs, taboo for discussion otherwise, usually attracted considerable discussion in groups. We learnt from such experiences that there was a need for constant reflection and debate on values and leadership. It helped in bringing down incidences of conflicts and often enabled a new leadership to emerge in tune with peoples’ aspiration. It was, therefore, important to create space and moods for such collective reflection. We identified an all religion prayer for the purpose and found that collective singing of the prayer was one of the most effective means of initiating deep discussions. We find it amazing that the prayer initiated by us in early nineties has now spread to groups all over the state and is now called the ‘self help group prayer’.
E. Spreading Out The concept of self help groups had started spreading by mid nineties and there was a demand for guidance and training on how it all works. We knew that a simplistic knowledge sharing approach to training would be inappropriate especially for professionals accustomed to work with the top down approach of ‘giving’ and ‘managing’ solutions. There was a need for a different approach altogether that could perhaps enable a person to rethink his/her way of working, thinking and living. I remember people coming to our institution with an arrogance that they knew what social development and poverty alleviation is all about. Most of them had spent a large part of their professional lives in the social sector and we respected their knowledge. But we also felt that promotion of self help is a very humane process that had little connection with knowledge per se. It was more about sharing a vision, about having faith in the capacity of people, even the poorest.
We wanted to discuss the reality in the lives of the poor, the truth behind the external façade of events and consequently the vision of development and social change. This was usually an unnerving experience for many. The role plays that we conducted at the start of a programme usually revealed a lack of depth in understanding and working methods . It was clear that sharing information on the outer dimension of group dynamics was inadequate without exploring the inner dimensions of life and work. In our programme, we had to create a separate space for such reflection. As we did so, we realized again and again, that the human dimension is present in all of us. All one has to do is to create a conducive environment for it to emerge.
III. UNFOLDING THE INNER DIMENSION
HUMILITY AND LEARNING
Humility is a pre condition for any genuine learning. A process of facilitation for meaningful social change begins with learning from the lives of people : Learning about their circumstances of living, learning about their perspectives, about their capacities or incapacities and so on. An attitude of learning is also essential to strike an effective dialogue with people. An equal and respectful sharing of experience is what dialogue is all about. This calls for humility and sensitivity in our approach. Unfortunately, as professionals we are already labeled ‘experts’, so that we are expected to deliver knowledge and services ‘successfully’. We are educated to be smart and aggressive for quick success, instead of being humble and patient. The two approaches appear to be contradictory. Not necessarily.
We learnt from our experience that being humane is more important than being smart. We learnt to recognize the fact that nobody can be changed. An outward looking change would be temporary and misleading anyway. We could, however, initiate a process of reflection instead. We learnt that this was fundamental to development of new perspectives and openness to learning.
The same persons who had earlier refused to believe that self help is a valid approach in the current scenario of development, acknowledged a need for learning from people. I know several who performed exceedingly well in the field later and helped spread the concept to far corners of the state. Some comments by professionals serving the government :
COLLECTIVE REFLECTION
Having organized collective reflection sessions on a regular basis for more than ten years now, I believe that the method is of immense value for enabling clarity of perspectives on life and work particularly in the context of social transformation. The process of reflection has already led to significant changes in the lives of thousands of persons working for social development and poverty alleviation. The credit goes to them entirely for their willingness to honestly reflect on their lives and take decisive steps to mould their behavior and action. Why Do So ? The Need Disturbed or confused minds can only create more disturbance or confusion at the community level. Social workers, teachers/trainers, development facilitators at various levels often have a strong desire to lead a purposeful life and be of use to the community. Unfortunately many do not understand how. Several are immersed in routine problems that become more important than their real work. Many others feel threatened or insecure by the pressure to perform or to comply with various orders from above. In such a situation, the job of enabling or motivating the less advantaged becomes a drag and the purpose of meaningful social transformation is lost. Collective reflection helps to unwind and share one’s views in a peaceful reflective setting where others present are also in a similar situation.
Even if one does not speak much in such a setting, one is forced to think about the issues being discussed as they usually relate to the challenges being faced in one’s own life and work. Comments by some persons, counter comments by others, total disagreements or sincere desire for learning alternatives are common features in such a reflective process. This makes the process very participatory, enjoyable and above all educative for everyone. It brings out dimensions of a subject that one has never thought of before.
It helps one to discover or clarify short term and long term goals and priorities. As a result, it often leads to significant changes in perspectives and attitudes towards life and work. This makes all the difference in the working style and performance of social workers.
The Method Although the experiences described here have evolved from the Indian cultural context, the lessons are fairly universal and have been used in international programmes too. One can always modify the details according to the needs of a particular group of people. The setting We have always insisted on a residential programme, enabling participants to move away from routine responsibilities. However, this by itself is not enough. We find it useful to initiate a reflection session early morning after some meditation or collective singing. The idea is to start with positive mindsets, free from anxieties that could cloud one’s thinking and responses. Collective meditation helps in calming the thought waves in the mind and is found to be extremely useful for the purpose. As we are dealing with subjects connecting to important challenges in life and work, these are important prerequisites.
Introduction to a subject The facilitator must effectively introduce a subject and enable the participants to understand the deeper significance of the subject from varying perspectives of life. In this introduction, the facilitator could present his/her own perspective, changes/evolution over time and open the discussion for others to respond from their perspective. The real challenge would be to relate the subject to the circumstances of the participants for getting their attention and participation. The facilitator can take a strong stand, if necessary, but must be willing to share his/her weaknesses or follies. Facilitation The facilitator should not be dominant and must be willing to act as an observer, intervening only when the discussion gets off track. He/she must be willing to summarize the ongoing discussions, put in guarded comments and throw in new challenges/issues to the group occasionally. Caution Collective reflection is not an exercise in making clever arguments to show off one’s mettle. It is deep reflection on important issues/problems affecting life. The real benefits unfold when participants start speaking up and sharing their stories of success or failure. It is important for the facilitator to help everyone feel relaxed. “I would like such a training to be imparted to all development officers. I learnt a lot for my own self too and I have perhaps freed myself from alcohol, smoking and tobacco. This six days programme has brought earth to sky difference in my thinking. My mind and heart is now feeling relaxed. I feel like I am reborn.”
LIVING BY VALUES
Collective reflection throws up many challenges. Several participants pointed out in the past that it was not easy to stick to Truth or follow a life of principles. Challenges arose from all corners of life : family, friends, colleagues at work, almost everyone. The challenges arose due to the fact that the society followed certain norms of consumption and behavior. If one did not follow those norms, one was considered a fool. In fact, some participants argued that it is almost impossible to exist without following prescribed societal norms in different situations. Such norms could be quite regressive and downright condemnable too. The question often raised was : How does one tackle such a situation ? Participants have often answered such questions themselves. Arguments have never helped. Instead practical living alternatives have been proposed by unimagined persons among the participants. I am presenting briefly the learning from such presentations ( Summarized in Eight Steps ) together with my own understanding relating to the subject of living by values. The Principle of Yoga Living by values begins with increasing consciousness and understanding about the source of one’s thoughts and actions.
As we develop ability to watch these closely, we are able to note that many of our problems have their origins in our own shortcomings or weaknesses. We have to take decisive steps to overcome such weaknesses through increased control over the thought waves in our mind. This is the principle of Yoga. Yoga is both a science and a universal philosophy that enables us to have better control over ourselves in all spheres of life. It helps us to come closer to Truth. Material needs are important, but obsession with the same detracts us from the Truth and produces greater unhappiness instead. One can start with small steps for achieving better self control and happiness. Eight Steps Some initial steps have been proposed in collective reflection sessions by development workers and professionals gathered at Manavodaya. Their value lies in their simplicity and the fact that they are based on reflection by persons representing a wide cross-section of society, i.e. government officers, bank managers, NGO leaders, villagers, and international scholars.
In that sense, they represent the aspirations of a concerned citizen to move towards a new social and economic order. These are
THE CHALLENGE OF NETWORKING
Energy levels can be raised and a strong positive impact can be felt from an exercise in reflection, as seen from many comments above. The process can also lead to significant changes in professional and personal lives of many persons. Some real life stories are described elsewhere ( See Vidyarthi and Wilson, 2008 ). However, it is also true that people slip back to old ways of working over a period of time due to constant pressure of circumstances. Some form of networking for regular sharing of information and energy continues to be an important challenge.
IV. THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH : INITIAL LEARNING
V. CONCLUDING REMARKS
Poverty, exclusion, drug addiction or disease are symptoms of imbalances creeping into our living system. The pressures of being ‘successful’ in accordance with the ever increasing consumption norms of society are creating increased tensions and behavioural problems at one end and abject poverty at the other. Social change is not about dealing with symptoms only. It is a process that must manifest into increased awareness and self control among people as well as a will to act collectively through democratic means for the benefit of humanity as a whole. This requires deep reflection and attention to both the inner and outer dimensions of change. Quick fix approaches based on grants and subsidies are of short term nature having a face saving value needed by formal institutions of governance, and are hardly suitable for genuine long term well being . The self help approach described briefly here has a holistic perspective enabling communities to move towards all round and sustainable development. Though the method has evolved in the context of rural India, the basic approach of self help and self management has universal value that can be applied to any situation. It is my firm belief, however, that true self help or true social change is not possible without touching on the inner dimension of change as reflected in our attitude towards work and life in general.
This is an aspect that is usually overlooked in education, discussion and action relating to development and social change. Working with communities can become a fairly mechanical exercise limited to following of well laid out instructions. Not only does this thwart creativity, it gradually leads to insensitivity and cynicism about the process itself. One works simply for sake of a livelihood. There is a need to enable the facilitating workers to go beyond and have a feel for the larger purpose. This is not possible without deeper reflection on goals, values, conflicts, challenges and alternatives. Here the dividing line between personal and professional life vanishes, one feels more relaxed and starts relooking at perspectives relating to all aspects of life. The inner and outer dimensions of change are like two sides of the same coin. By focusing on one and ignoring the other, we are restricting our understanding of true and meaningful social development. As we start working on both, we come closer to Truth and life becomes more enjoyable for everyone.
