Monday, July 1, 2024

THE FORGOTTEN HALF: LEARNING FROM FALLEN IDEAS THROUGH THE METAPHOR OF DAKSHINAYANA

Education 2047 #Blog 21 (01 JUL 2024)


July 16 might not ring a bell as the birthday of a notable personality or a UN Day dedicated to a particular cause, but in the grand tapestry of celestial events, it holds profound significance. It marks the beginning of Dakshinayana, a period often overshadowed by its more celebrated counterpart, Uttarayana. While Makar Sankranti is celebrated with much fervour, symbolizing the triumph of Uttarayana, Dakshinayana- the six-month phase when the sun moves southward- is often overlooked. This period of celestial “night” for the deities serves as a profound metaphor for the fallen ideas in the world of innovation. Just as Dakshinayana signifies a time of rest and introspection, the ideas that don't reach fruition contribute significantly to our collective experience, shaping the path to future successes.

Dakshinayana begins on Karka Sankranti, around July 16, marking the sun’s transition into Karka rashi (Cancer). This six-month period leading up to the winter solstice is traditionally seen as a time when deities are in their celestial slumber. In contrast to the festive celebrations of Makar Sankranti, Dakshinayana is a quieter, more introspective phase. It’s a time for reflection, learning, and preparing for the renewal that comes with the sun’s northward journey.

In the world of innovation, not every idea finds success. Many concepts, despite their potential, falter and are often forgotten. However, these fallen ideas play a crucial role in the ecosystem of innovation, especially in the academic world. They are the silent teachers, offering invaluable lessons through their failures. Every unsuccessful idea provides a wealth of knowledge. Understanding why an idea didn't work can prevent future missteps, teaching us about market readiness, technological feasibility, and user preferences. The acceptance of failure as part of the process encourages a culture of risk-taking. 

Innovators learn to push boundaries and explore uncharted territories, knowing that failure is not the end but a step towards eventual success. Experiencing failure builds resilience, teaching innovators to persevere, adapt, and refine their ideas. This resilience is often the cornerstone of groundbreaking innovations. The lessons learned from failed ideas often spark new creativity, forcing thinkers to approach problems from different angles, leading to more robust and innovative solutions.

Innovation requires the sanction of the market, which is not a role academic institutions are best suited to play. Pushing them into driving innovations can deprive them of the finances needed to improve infrastructure for teaching and learning. Instead, academic institutions should be nurtured and strengthened as sources of ideas, where intellectual exploration can flourish without the immediate pressure of market validation.

To contribute to the culture of innovation, higher education institutions must adopt strategies that promote critical thinking over memorization. Classrooms should be restructured and reconfigured to encourage multidisciplinary education and research. Faculty from different domains should collaborate to generate new ideas, problems, and challenges. Examinations designed to test memorization should be abolished in favour of assessments that evaluate understanding and creativity. Faculty must be retrained to adopt the principles of heutagogy, emphasizing self-determined learning. Embracing failures and incorporating them into the learning process is essential for fostering a resilient and innovative academic environment. While innovations often aim to create wealth, with only a few achieving successes, many in the academic institutions can benefit from the valuable lessons gained by taking failures in stride.

Academic institutions are crucibles of creativity and intellectual rigor. They should be seen as sources of innovative ideas rather than primary drivers of market-ready innovations. This allows scholars to pursue bold, speculative research that may not have immediate commercial applications but can lead to significant breakthroughs in the long run. Overemphasis on innovation can strain the resources of academic institutions, diverting funds away from essential teaching and learning infrastructure. By allowing institutions to focus on their primary mission- education and foundational research- we ensure that they continue to produce well-rounded graduates and groundbreaking ideas that can be developed further in a commercial context.

Just as Dakshinayana is an integral part of the cosmic cycle, fallen ideas are essential in the innovation process. They are not mere failures but are stepping stones that pave the way for future breakthroughs. Recognizing and celebrating these ideas can transform the way we perceive innovation. Companies can maintain a repository of fallen ideas and the lessons they imparted. This institutional memory can be a valuable resource for future projects. Shifting the cultural narrative to celebrate not just successes but also the efforts and learnings from failures can create a more supportive and innovative environment. Including case studies of failed ideas in educational curricula can provide budding innovators with realistic insights into the innovation process.

Embracing Dakshinayana in the context of innovation means acknowledging that every failed idea contributes to the collective wisdom. Just as the sun's southward journey is essential for the renewal that comes with Uttarayana, the experience gained from fallen ideas is vital for the breakthroughs that define our future. As we celebrate Makar Sankranti with joy and gusto, the academic fraternity should also remember Dakshinayana with quiet reverence.  Just as the celestial cycle is incomplete without Dakshinayana, the journey of innovation is incomplete without the valuable lessons from its failures. By nurturing a culture that values both success and failure, and by allowing academic institutions to focus on their strengths, we can create a more balanced and fruitful environment for innovation.

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Author is Pro Chancellor, JIS University- Kolkata (Ex-Adviser, AICTE/ MOE/ GOI & Ex-Scientist TIFAC/ DST/ GOI)
 
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