Education Never Ends

“Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last.” – Sherlock Holmes.

In my college days, I used to flunk classes to visit the library. While the missed classes instantly reflected in poor grades, the knowledge gained at the library was of no immediate value.

At the library, I read diverse stuff, and India was a big focus. I read about India’s cultural, historical, philosophical and spiritual heritage. You can excuse the naivete of a teenager who thinks the knowledge gained could help him transform India.

I wrote extensively on the subject. But my writings were informed by things I picked along the way.

There is joy in thoughtful contemplation that every seeker feels until he is confronted with the reality of existence. “One must live before one can philosophize”.

In hindsight, it was a wasted effort. There was no upside commensurate with the time and energy these writings took. I marvel at my misplaced idealism in not focusing enough on skills that begot money.

That was then.

When the pupil is ready, the path appears

Ages later, or 6 months ago to be precise, I stumbled upon Diwakar Menon ‘s post announcing the successful completion of a course on Public Policy. Upon inquiry, he vouched for the course’s utility for every professional, including me.

I thought this is the best way to complement my intuitive understanding of the subject with a more systematic and structured training that I missed all these years.

I was unsure about pursuing something that had no direct value-add to my marketing profile. I had a word with my manager Rohit Gupta , who encouraged me to go after what I wanted, even if it didn’t relate to marketing. I’m grateful for his understanding that made my decision easier.

I joined the course. Any lingering thoughts I had were put to rest by the excellent team at The Takshashila Institution

Teamwork at Takshashila

One of the first things I noticed was the diversity of students. From professions I knew existed in theory, but had never met one in person. I was challenged to collaborate with a diverse group of people, who brought their unique insights to the table. Thanks to Squad Alpha that, true to its name, stuck gold at the workshop. 

The most challenging part was the final assignment. That’s when I realized there was one commonality between marketing and public policy projects after all. You can never fully finish them; they are only abandoned as the deadline closes in. 🙂

The faculty did a great job of turning rhetoric into reasoning, chaos into clarity, and passion into persuasion.

A big thanks to each of them: Nitin Pai Anupam Manur Pranay Kotasthane , Suman Joshi , Mihir Mahajan , Manoj Kewalramani , Ganesh Chakravarthi Bharath Reddy Sarthak Pradhan, Ameya Ashok Naik.

What I learned

The course helped me combine academic rigor to my voice. It infused my marketing writing skills with a more objective strand of writing. One that’s more capable of withstanding scrutiny.

It gave a proper shape to things I knew at an intuitive level. My vague thoughts were crystallized into a form that was more recognizable in the marketplace of ideas.

In hindsight, my studies were probably not all in vain.

As Maria Popova writes: “Everything is eventually recompensed, every effort of the heart eventually requited, though not always in the form you imagined or hoped for. What redeems all of life’s disappointments, what makes all of its heartbreaks bearable, is the ability to see how the dissolution of a dream becomes the fertile compost of possibility.”

What about my dreams for India?

I resonate with what Sri Aurobindo said, “India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to do for herself and the human peoples.”

Convocation

A special thanks is due to Sowmya Prabhakar for the grand arrangements for the convocation celebrations.

We all assembled on February 24, 2024 at MEG & Centre, the HQ of the Madras Sappers, Bangalore.

The Guest of Honour was Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari, PVSM AVSM VM ADC who spoke about the continuous skill development initiative he has instituted for the forces.

Shri Manish Sabharwal, Cofounder and Vice Chairman of TeamLease Services Limited, kickstarted his speech with a thought-provocative statement: “There are no poor people, only people in poor places.”

“Transforming India,” as Takshashila says, “is a marathon, not a sprint.”

We’ve miles to go before we sleep. But a beginning has been made.

And I’m better-equipped for the road ahead, thanks to Takshashila.