There is so much to learn. According to the ancient Tamil proverb, "What we have learned is equivalent to a handful of sand compared to what we don't know which is the size of the earth!" In India, every child grows up with a collection of stories (aka Grandma's stories). While these may seem trivial, they impart knowledge that is simple yet powerful lessons in life and leadership. This page is dedicated to providing some insight into such stories and topics... of course, sprinkled with my $0.02! Stay tuned.
Ancient Indian Teachings and Modern Life
_One of the classic pieces of literature that I have studied during my
school life -- without realizing its importance and potential at that
time -- is the Thirukkural. Thirukkural, a masterpiece in the Tamil
language, is a collection of 1330 verses organized into 133 chapters and
covering 3 broad sections: Aram, Porul, Inbam. These three aspects are
vital to human beings to help us humans live our lifes to their fullest.
Thirukkural was written by Thiruvalluvar and is dated somewhere between
2nd century BC and 8th century AD. You can find more about Thirukkural
at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirukkural. In this blog my theme is to
relate some of the key teachings of Thirukkural to modern life. It is
surprising that although some of these works were done thousands of
years ago, they are still relevant to modern day life, human
relationships, ethics and core values. Every time I read a book on
leadership or organizational behavior, I am reminded of some of the
simple lessons that are taught by works like Thirukkural and other
ancient Indian literary works and stories. I find it pleasantly
surprising how many times I end up referencing such stories or verses
during my work and family life. I thought I would share such gems from
Indian culture with the hope of sharing the learning with a larger
audience. I hope you find it enjoyable and enriching as I have over the
past few years.
Art of Learning
_To follow up on the thread on Thirukkural, I'd like to start with an interesting verse.
First the transliteration...
Karka Kasadara Karpavai Kattrapin
Nirka Atharku Thagai
Now the meaning... This verse talks about the art of learning.
Karka -- Learn, Kasadara -- Thoroughly, Karpavai -- what has been learned (or concepts), Kattrapin -- after learning
Nirka -- live your life, Atharku Thagai -- accordingly
So the summary is, whatever you learn, learn it thoroughly. After you have learned, learn to apply what you have learned and live your life according to what you have learned.
This is very true in life. I've come across two broad categories of people: One set of people who continue to accumulate knowledge but don't apply that to create positive outcomes for themselves and their communities. Others may not be as knowledgeable but can successfully use their knowledge to become successful. Sometimes, the application is not immediate. The classical example is Steve Jobs who in his Stanford graduation speech alludes to this concept. His story is about taking a course in Calligraphy which helped him understand about fonts and their characteristics. This knowledge he was later able to apply to ensure that the Mac had incredible typography which then migrated to the PC and today that application of typographic knowledge has resulted in all of us benefiting from the large selection of fonts that we have come to assume as a way of computing life. In his own words, Steve Jobs acknowledges that at the time that he learned about fonts, he could not see an application of such knowledge. However, when it was time, the knowledge that he gained of his own volition, he was able to apply it at the right time. Since the learning was thorough, it stayed with him for years and the connection of applying such learning resulted in something phenomenal.
First the transliteration...
Karka Kasadara Karpavai Kattrapin
Nirka Atharku Thagai
Now the meaning... This verse talks about the art of learning.
Karka -- Learn, Kasadara -- Thoroughly, Karpavai -- what has been learned (or concepts), Kattrapin -- after learning
Nirka -- live your life, Atharku Thagai -- accordingly
So the summary is, whatever you learn, learn it thoroughly. After you have learned, learn to apply what you have learned and live your life according to what you have learned.
This is very true in life. I've come across two broad categories of people: One set of people who continue to accumulate knowledge but don't apply that to create positive outcomes for themselves and their communities. Others may not be as knowledgeable but can successfully use their knowledge to become successful. Sometimes, the application is not immediate. The classical example is Steve Jobs who in his Stanford graduation speech alludes to this concept. His story is about taking a course in Calligraphy which helped him understand about fonts and their characteristics. This knowledge he was later able to apply to ensure that the Mac had incredible typography which then migrated to the PC and today that application of typographic knowledge has resulted in all of us benefiting from the large selection of fonts that we have come to assume as a way of computing life. In his own words, Steve Jobs acknowledges that at the time that he learned about fonts, he could not see an application of such knowledge. However, when it was time, the knowledge that he gained of his own volition, he was able to apply it at the right time. Since the learning was thorough, it stayed with him for years and the connection of applying such learning resulted in something phenomenal.