Teaching Design Thinking Differently

'Design Thinking- such a drab subject!'

'We know the five phases - EDIPT!' 

'We have seen enough examples on YouTube.'

When your MBA class is so forthright in expressing their views, you have to think differently. Taking a cue from Dr Abdul Kalam's famous quote 'Creativity is seeing the same thing as everybody else, but thinking differently', we converted the remaining sessions of the course 'Innovation In Business' into a Design Thinking Workshop. In a workshop you are supposed to use some 'tools' and 'do'  and 'make' something like in a carpentry workshop. 

We asked the class if they would recommend the college to others? The answer was a chorus 'No'! Do they regret the decision when they joined the college? This time another chorus 'Yes'! When asked why, many reasons came up. That ignited Ghumakkad's mind to do a 'live' workshop on issues plaguing the students' minds. For a class of 70 students, we identified 24 'live' issues being faced by the students. Teams of three each were free to choose any one issue. The process was repeated for both the sections of 70 students each. The die was cast. Few of the issues selected by the students are listed below. Am sure students at other colleges would not feel much differently.

• Improving student quality
• Developing college pride & sense of belonging
• Branding of the College
• Entrepreneurial Support
• Attendance through biometrics

Each team was given 48 hours to complete the first step of Design Thinking 'Empathise'. It involved interacting with the people concerned for the issue at hand. It could be other students, faculty, staff or management of the college. It could also be other colleges in the same geography. By actually empathising with the people concerned, the students learnt the nuances of Step-1 of design thinking. Whether it was mere observations or an interview or a focussed group discussion or collection of facts and figures, the students gained 'insights' of the issue at hand. These insights were then utilised for further steps of Design Thinking.

Remaining steps namely Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test were completed by each team after two days in the class itself. Breakout areas gave freedom for brainstorming. The teams had two hours to deliberate the issue and apply the design thinking to come up with suggested solution. The teams were also given a chart paper and coloured markers to summarise their design thinking effort and present it to the class for greater learning. The posters were thereafter displayed in the college foyer for wider viewership by other students, faculty, staff and management of the college. The whole event thus generated lot of enthusiasm and energy by the students in experiential learning mode. Sharing few pictures of the event below.

Through the workshop, the students could address many real-life issues like how to select the internship company? Big vs small? Branded company vs a startup? And so on.

The whole design thinking workshop was conceived on the go. The idea came because of students' disenchantment with the college (a normal reaction towards the end of the two-year-PGDM-program). Germinated in the class, a 'drab' subject was successfully transformed into an invigorating and participative workshop. It led to experiential learning. See the video clip below of the poster designing in progress.

For teachers like Ghumakkad, there is never a dull moment. With 140 inquisitive and restive minds around, it is a pleasant challenge to devise and conduct such 'live' learning events. Special thanks to all the students who participated, both the class reps and Dr V Jayashree for the wholehearted support.

Sharing below the links to some of our other 'live' teaching and learning events which had also ensured experiential learning at PG level:

Uri the Movie- Management Lessons

Shershaah Beyond The Movie

Real Life to Real Time Cases

Hope you enjoyed the teaching and learning of Design Thinking with Ghumakkad. Do share your experiences of other modes of experiential learning.

Thanks for browsing.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with the PGDM Class of 2024@VVISM Hyderabad/ 30th March 2024

#learning #experiential #PGDM #MBA #highereducation #nep2020 #designthinking #workshopmode #reallifeissues #insights #innovationinbusiness #creativity #learningbydoing #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Who Will Peel The Fruits Now?

'Neeta zara yahan aao' - Neeta come here for a while, 94-year-old would say to her 69-year-old daughter sitting across the room.

'Tum waheen se bolo' - you speak from there itself, the daughter would reply, not wanting to get up so frequently because of an aching back.

'Nahhen yahan aao' - no you come here, insisted the 94-year-old.

'Main yaheen baithee hoon' - I am sitting here, asserts the daughter. And the unending duel goes on witnessed by Ghumakkad every few minutes. Every day.

That was an excerpt of the wordy duel. Both would hold their ground till I intervened. That was my mother-in-law Smt Usha Bhargava (11.11.1929 - 22.2.2024) who passed away recently.

Mom had many facets of her personality. Today, even though she is gone, she continues to live in our hearts. Sharing below few memories of last few years.

Self Help is the Best Help

She would always peel the fruits every morning for breakfast. She had improvised a chopping board on one of the kitchen cabinets so that she could do the peeling and cutting while seated on a chair. She would lend a helping hand while making the pakwan for Diwali. Picture and a short video follows.

She Loved Sweets

Her lunch or dinner would be incomplete without sweets. One is not enough. Lately, she wanted a sweet after breakfast also. See the short video below. Of course during the last month of her life, she had stopped taking any solids as well as liquids. She had her original teeth for all of the 94 years! Remarkable, isn't it?

Spirit of Giving

She would heartily contribute to all community pujas and events. Every year on Diwali and Sankranti, she would ensure that all those who worked at home, were given a gift. Picture below shows Ashok our dhobi, cook Pooja and domestic help Farzana receiving her blessings.

Sharing Her Knowledge

She relished sharing her knowledge with others. Be it a recipe or how to do knitting, she would readily share it. In the video below, she can be seen teaching Farzana, our domestic help, how to do knitting. See the happiness on her face when the learner picks up the skill.

Great-Granny

She lived on to enjoy the company of four great grand-children aged between 19 and 9 years. She loved not only her great grand-children but all the children in the colony. See the pictures and the video below.

Fetish for Cleanliness

She would ensure that her wardrobe, side table, dressing table and puja cabinet were always prim and proper. She would rearrange all the cell phones on a table if lying randomly. After all a Fauji's mother-in-law! Her hair would always be well oiled and braided. Pictures below.

Tech-Savvy Granny

In her 90s, she adapted easily to an iPhone and ear phones. Picture and a short video below.

You can see her talking merrily using the earphones and rocking her walking stick.

Her Favourite Spot

The verandah in our house was Mom's favourite spot. She would read the newspaper sitting in bright daylight there. In the evenings, she would watch all the children playing outside. She would also supervise us to prune the plants and branches in the garden from her chair.

Birthdays are Fun

She endured the day-long fatigue on her 90th birthday. With a family lunch for 50 and a dinner for 100 guests, she kept up the smile. Thereafter, she relished the cake on her 91st to 94th birthdays at home surrounded by friends.

The bigger bash with grandchildren and other guests had to be scheduled in December to match the holidays of the grandchildren. Glimpses below.

Farida and Anand (Annu) came from Dubai to wish her on her 90th birthday in Hyderabad. Farida wrote such a touching poem. Annu read it out for her as recorded in the video below.

We also share below snippets of her subsequent 91st to 94th birthdays. 

'How was it Mom?' See what she said in the clip below.

What did she have for breakfast on her 93rd birthday? See the approving looks in the picture below.

Surrounded by Loving Family

Weakened but Not Down

About a month before she passed away, she stopped eating any solids. For next two weeks, she did take some liquids like milk, lassi and coconut water. Her body showed signs of weakness. However, during last 15 days, she had stopped taking the liquids also. How long can you survive on few drops of ORS per day? Our daughter flew down from USA and so did our son from Chennai to be with her. While leaving for Chennai on Sunday, Ankush told her 'Nani, main jaa raha hoon'. She quizzed 'kahan jaa rahe ho?' Not to disappoint her Ankush replied 'Bazar ja raha hoon'. She said 'Paas wale bazaar?' Ankush said yes and left. She waved her hand to say good bye. That was one of the last conversations she had. 

Role Interchange in Life

Once she had held both the grand children Ashi and Ankush in her lap. Mom would trim Neeta's finger nails when she was young. With time, these roles have interchanged as in the pictures below.

Gratitude

We owe special thanks to Dr M Sitaram (Cardiologist), Dr CH Mohan Rao (Neurologist and Internal Medicine) and Dr Purna Chandra Rao (General Physician) for taking good care of Mom during last 20 years or so. Dr PC Rao looked after Mom as his own mother. Our gratitude to each one of you.

She went away peacefully with Neeta and Akanksha holding her hands and me at her feet. Her walker awaits her return.

    

Yaad Ayegi

Ashi has made a short video on her life with the song 'yaad ayegi' in the background. Sharing it here.

Mom, who will peel the fruits now? You lived a full life. Keep blessing us wherever you are.

She has reunited with Papa who had left us 35 years ago.

     - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/ Secunderabad/ 8th March 2024

Postscript:

What a family friend wrote for Mom:

Aunty: 22.02.24

--------------

She  was  our  beloved  Aunty,

Strong  as  steel,  but  dealings  dainty. 

     Her  smile  was  so  infectious, 

     That  even  lawyers  would  find  it  judicious. 

Residents  of  our  colony,  both  young  and  old, 

Seeing  her,  their  hands  would  fold. 

     " Namaste  Aunty ",  would  be  the  respected  greeting,

     On  every  single  occasion  of  meeting. 

Acknowledged   by  her  charming  smile, 

That  would  remain  in  our  minds  for  quite  a  while. 

     Today  she  has  left  us  forever, 

     Only  to  be  forgotten  never. 

Surely,  we  will  miss  her  a  lot, 

For  the  affection  that  we  always  got. 

     May  she  spread  her  charisma  up  there, 

     And  allow  us  to  touch  her  feet  in  prayer. 

        Dada.

Air Commodore A Banerjee SC

11th March: Ira Bhargava wrote:

This is such a beautiful tribute to Jiji - so well written - the narration grows on you and one can't leave it midway - just want to know more and more about Jiji and the minute details of her life that we missed out on being so far away from Jiji and you all. 

Your narration, the photos and the videos                    are sometimes funny, sometimes somber and at other times so emotional. Thanks for giving such a vivid description of how she spent her life with you and Neeta and the grand and great grandchildren. We have seen how happy she was with you all and the excellent care you both have taken of her throughout the 37 years of her life with you. well done, Harsh and Neeta.

Jiji for me was not only Ajai's eldest sister but also like a sister to me. She was a jovial person, very active physically and mentally, had interest in so many things: I can sum her up as a person full of life. We would chat on the phone for any length of time and there was a time when she would recount jokes that she had read in that day's newspaper and we would all laugh together. Then came the times when she stopped calling but would be so happy when Ajai or I would call. Gradually that also lessened because she would not understand what we were saying even though she was always so happy to hear her Ajju's voice and also her Ajju's bahu's .... The last few minutes before her demise, Ajai kept on repeating, "Jiji aankhein kholo". But that was not to be. 

Alvida Jiji....

#motherpassesaway #94yearold #celebratinglife #weakenedbutnotdown #whowillpeelthefruits #greatgrandmother #4Gsofadifferentkind #peace #ushabhargava #eulogy #4thgeneration #livingonownterms #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #obituary

Pottery Magic at Pachdhar Village

'Is it only you who has been making pottery or has it thrived for generations', we asked Laxmi Kant Prajapati. He was quick to respond, 'Yes sir, we have been practicing it for generations'! Laxmi Kant heads one of the 70-odd potter's families living in Pachdhar village off NH-44 near Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh. This story takes you to Pachdhar village through pictures and videos.

Pachdhar village is shown in blue balloon in the map below. Pench national park is on extreme left in the map.

Who hasn't marvelled seeing a potter's wheel? It creates magic in front of your eyes. And to retain and promote this magic for centuries, the credit goes to the potters living in villages like Pachdhar. They have successfully preserved and promoted India's rich variety of handicrafts. The village is an example of right blend of modernity and tradition. While the pottery is created by hand, the payments are accepted in digital mode. The village has concrete roads and piped water supply. Traditional mud houses are being replaced by cemented structures under a rural housing scheme of the government. Cattle owned by the household are tied in the courtyard. Dung and mud paste is utilised for keeping the floor insect free. Since this village falls in the tribal belt, they are allowed to collect the fallen branches of trees and shrubs for use as fuel. See the video below and notice the wood piled up on the road side. Being close to Pench National Park, the village gets number of tourists as can be seen by the vehicles in the village. Please ignore the background recitation of akhand ramayana (24 hour reading of the Ramayana) in the village temple.

Preserving The Traditional Craft Form

We then met Laxmi Kant Prajapati. He explained that the coarse pottery product is created by the male members of the family. The finer finishing is then done by the ladies. We met her daughter-in-law and asked her how did she pick up the art after marriage. She explained that she also comes from a potter's family in another district and therefore already knew the art. She skillfully packed our purchases in a cardboard carton and even gave a kulhad (earthen ware tumbler) free. No wonder the potters have been able to sustain the traditional art form for centuries. See the video and pictures below.

Here are some more pictures from Laxmi Kant's boutique.

A whole village pursuing the same craft not only for livelihood but also to preserve the knowledge and expertise. This phenomenon is not restricted to Pachdhar village alone. In Odisha, there is a village named Raghurajpur where all 120-odd households practice the art of making Pattachitra paintings. See our video and observe the similarity in the two villages. This video was shot in Nov-22.

As we said in our earlier story titled 'Rural India - Picture of Happiness', Pachdhar village reinforces the point. Do browse the story here, if you haven't.

Since the pottery village is located close to a national Highway as well as the Pench Tiger Reserve, it gets visitors regularly. Influx of wildlife tourists into Pachdhar village reminds Ghumakkad of the Masai Village located close to Serengeti National Park in East Africa. We had visited the village and contributed to its well being besides enjoying a folk dance and purchasing some handicrafts. You may view our story linked below:

The Big Five Live - Takes you to East Africa where wild animals roam in herds of thousands and African Lions can be seen in large prides of as many as 11 lions together!

Pench is a fascinating wildlife destination. The full suite of our stories on Pench is listed below:

Three Masked Men and Four Tigers (coming up)

Jungle Walk at Night - adventure of three 70-year-olds in a jungle in a pitch dark night

Rural India - Picture of Happiness - How the villagers maintain ecological balance while children learn to make handicrafts

Bavanthadi- The picturesque river valley which the Tiger likes (coming up)

Pottery Magic at Pachdhar Village - How the potters sustain centuries-old craft form?

Pench- Where to stay - Camp Gondwana (coming up)

Birds of Pench - Thriving bird life (coming up)

Hope you enjoyed the story and felt empathetic towards our craftsmen from rural India. Do encourage them. Their products are so honestly priced that we didn't have to do any bargaining.

We close with an anonymous quotation which says "Handicrafts are not just crafts, they are our heritage". How true!

Thanks for browsing. More stories of Pench and its surroundings will follow.

    -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with inputs from Animesh and Ashok/ Secunderabad/ 10th Feb 2024

#pachdhar #pottersvillage #potterymagic #pench #tigerreserve #madhyaparadesh #artisansofindia #familytradition #villagelife #pottery #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb #masaivillage #eastafrica #handicrafts

Jungle Walk At Night

Ever ventured into a jungle at night? A jungle which has Tigers, Leopards, Bisons, Jungle Fox and other animals. Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson used to sit the night out on a machan looking for man-eaters. That was in early 20th century. You and I are neither Jim nor Kenneth. But still we ventured to prowl the jungles of Pench National Park in India. We did two outings. One on foot and the other in a vehicle. No weapons. Just a normal flash light and vehicle headlights. Sounds crazy? See the videos and decide for yourself.

The experience was worth it. But surely not for the weak hearted. 

Firstly, we share the thrill of walking in a jungle on a pitch dark night. So dark that you can not see your own shadow! Cloudy sky prevented the glow of the moon, though it did make a brief appearance. We were three men in our 70s, without even a walking stick. Just our phones and a small torch light. We must have walked a km in that darkness.! Feel our thrill through the 40-second video and pictures below.

Next came a vehicle safari at night. Equally dark jungle. Partially illuminated by the headlights of the vehicle. Scanning for animals all around. Listening silently for any movement or a call. An hour or more exploring the jungle at night. No sightings except a lone bird on the track. It was a Eurasian Thick-knee. A jungle fox also showed its shining eyes but disappeared fast into the darkness. We even went to the spot where the butchers discard the leftovers every night to be eaten by the wolves. But the wolves did not oblige us that night. Yes, hundreds of Egrets welcomed us while roosting on a single tree. Quite a sight it was! Pictures and videos of another thrilling night follow.

See the short video of the night safari below.

A Eurasian Thick-knee shone in the headlights right ahead. See the picture.

Egrets roosting together on a tree at night, see two pictures and a video clip near Pench.

Video clip of the egrets follows.

Another spectacle that we witnessed after dusk was seeing hundreds of Winged Termites rising together! Winged Termites rise in a swarm at dusk. They perish thereafter.  See the video below. In the video we had wrongly identified the swarm as dragon flies until a wildlife enthusiast Wg Cdr Yella Prakash Rao pointed out the error. Thanks Prakash.

Who were these crazy 70-year-olds venturing into the jungle at night on foot? See the Three Owls in the picture below.

Hope you felt the thrill of a night walk in the jungle! 

Thanks for browsing. More stories on Tiger and Leopard sighting, Bawanthadi River Bank, Pachdhar Pottery Village, Camp Gondwana and Birds of Pench will follow soon.

Other stories on Pench are listed below. Simply click to browse.

Rural India- Real Happiness A picture story of villages near Pench and how a village panchayat has helped in tourism development.

Pottery Magic at Pachdhar Village - The story takes you to Pachdhar a village near Pench National park on NH-44 where the residents have been creating amazing designs in pottery.

Two Tigers and Three Masked Men - Videos and pictures of leopard and tiger sighting together in Pench! A rare event indeed.

    - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Animesh and Ashok/ Pench MP India/ 7th Feb 2024

#Leopard #Tiger #PenchTigerReserve #NavyVeterans #Wildlife #Safari #SatpuraRanges #MadhyaPradesh #ForestDepartment #Conservation #NightSafari #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #eurasianthicknee #junglefox