Lessons from the past - Chola Dynasty

Like every second person, I love movies. Whenever I begin watching them, I am so immersed that my family often complains that my attention towards the movie is so undivided that I do not listen to anything they say or mention. Recently, I watched Ponniyan Selvan and I was hooked. The plot, the twists, the cinematography, and the costumes took me back to that era. The way it was directed, presented, and enacted by the actors was another highlight and I eagerly watched the second part. Moreover, it drove me to learn more about the Chola Dynasty. 

Let me share that I was intrigued by the history shown in the movie but not everything shown in the movie is true. 

Source:https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/pv-target-images/7e25f103214ea7116adf106e3762b591a2b46469377bc310b5983dbeb623a0f4.jpg

So let's explore what we can take from the empire and use it in present-day life. The Cholas ruled from the 9th to the 12th century AD. If you refer to the book, Ancient India by S. Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Cornell University Library, you learn how the kingdom came to be. 

It was King Rajaraja who ascended the throne in 969 A.D. conquered territories and became master of the Tamil country south of the Pennar. He was so devoted to his work that he did not let a single opportunity pass by him to ascertain power and defeat the Chalukyas. His son, Rajendra took over after him and expanded the empire and successive rulers maintained the glory.  They were excellent at maritime knowledge and capitalized on their supremacy over the seas making them formidable at sea wars. 

The strength of the kingdom was its governance. The administration was highly systematized from an early date. The Head of the state was the king with state officials and ministers as shown in the image. 

For administration purposes, the kingdom was divided into several administrative units called 'mandals' with respective sects of people governing the areas. Different sects of people governed different areas to bring in more regulations. What was most appreciable was that the village councils, 'sabhas' enjoyed autonomy with minimal interference from the king. Further, the courts to impart justice gave out judgments based on evidence. 

This is somewhat comparable to our present democratic government across the world. So why was the governance lauded to date and celebrated even today?  Why do we seek to make movies of the past when the countries today have systems with the latest technology and access to resources? 

If you analyze the information shared, two prominent conclusions can be drawn:

1. Process hierarchy - All the officials were governed by another set of officials and the guidelines were clear where they abided by the rules of the constitution. Training and monitoring play an important role in every system within the governing bodies so that each individual is aware of their roles, their outreach, and the scope and boundary of their powers. Institutions should invest in consistent training and third-party monitoring to get real-time feedback on their performance. 

2. Autonomy and minimal interference - You need to trust the person you have engaged for the role and allow them to experiment and explore. You need to give them a boundary where few errors can be accepted and where no mistakes will be tolerated. For example where the life of any individual is threatened then no lapses will be entertained but an event arrangement lacking coordination or quality can be let off with guidelines and feedback. Allow the person to make decisions and learn from the consequences without a feeling of guilt and remorse as David Ogilvy mentions, "Leaders grasp nettles"

We observe micromanaging by the Heads at many institutions and it does not allow leadership to flourish. In fact most parts of the world, we are experiencing a serious lack of strong leadership role models and we observe people in old age still leading countries. Why do we not see the dynamic youth leading from the front? 

This is a serious concern and the Ministry of Education and educational institutions need to take cognizance. For starters, educators need to create projects for students where they share their leadership icon of today stating the attributes that make the person a great leader and comparing it with a leader of the past. Let the students role-play, criticize, or even rewrite what they felt the leader should have done better. Get students to create portfolios where they conduct research on how to create leaders for the nation with a 10-year plan.   

While closing, I would want to share that movies can be a starting cause but how we use it is all our perspective. I am happy to learn about the Cholas which I never did take seriously during my school days so kudos to the entire movie team. At the same time, post the research, the students could also be asked to review the movie and analyze the facts and the fiction. 

References:

1. Unveiling the Lost Pages of History: The Forgotten Cholas and Other Indian Dynasties......

Read more at: https://organiser.org/2023/06/12/178492/bharat/unveiling-the-lost-pages-of-history-the-forgotten-cholas-and-other-indian-dynasties/

2. Ancient India - https://www.rarebooksocietyofindia.org/book_archive/196174216674_10154712353641675.pdf

We all need a Mentor in life

We walk on our path and there comes a time when we don't know where to look further. There are crossroads at times, obstacles looming over us and sometimes our own insecurities gnawing at us making us stand still. At that time, imagine an experienced, loving individual knowing our strengths and shortcomings walking toward us, holding our hand, and showing us the path ahead. Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Well, that person is our mentor. A mentor who believes in us invests time in us and with their vast background of knowledge shows numerous possibilities to rise. The rise may not always be professional but also personal. 

In 1997, I was going through a bitter divorce and times were tough. My parents were extremely supportive but the barrage of relatives throwing negative remarks was draining us of all hopes and peace. It was not allowing me to think of any kind of future. I felt I was sinking into a hole with no light at the end of the tunnel. I had lost confidence and began doubting myself. Suddenly my friends were no more inviting me, and my presence was not a requisite. At that time, my father called his sister, my beautiful aunt from Kolkatta known for her affable nature and immense positivity to come to Mumbai to take me to her place. She felt a change of place would do me good. Every day, she would share positive things about me like 'You are so intelligent, you can be anything; 'You are much stronger than you think you are; 'You have sharp features, anyone will love your looks'. Her ever-smiling face, seeing the good in people, and her belief that everything happens for a reason started rubbing off on me. 

Consistently, over two months, her words and actions started doing magic with me, I developed an inner strength to face the world with my head held high. I came back to Mumbai, started my studies again, and joined teaching as a profession. With every step, my confidence grew and I started experimenting and exploring moving to leadership positions and teacher training.  Today with my soulmate married for over 22 years and a loving son, achieving a National Award for teachers, I know there is more to come. My relationship with my aunt is ever so strong and sharing a recent photograph where she is beaming with love. 

Over the course of the years, many mentors walked in shaping my professional growth like Usha Bhatia Ma'am, Seema Sheikh Ma'am, and Sangeeta Gole to whom I will always be grateful. 

History has shown that every great thought leader, businessman, and scientist had mentors who inspired them to become the best version of themselves. How can anyone forget Lord Krishna being the ideal mentor in Arjuna's life helping him reflect on his actions and resolve deep-rooted fears, and belief systems, and take control of himself. In the battle of Kurukshetra, he showed the mirror to Arjuna, the best warrior,  saddled with conflicts preventing him from action and delivering. 

Take another example of Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou. 

Excerpts from Oprah.com

The woman Oprah calls mentor-mother-sister-friend offers wise words about the roots of confidence, the trouble with modesty and how to do the impossible. Since the moment I opened I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I've felt deeply connected to Maya Angelou. With each page, her life seemed to mirror mine: In her early years she was raised by her grandmother in the South; as a young girl she was raped; and, like me, she grew up reciting what the church folks called little pieces—a few lines from the Bible that were usually delivered amid shouts and amens from the women fanning themselves in the front pews. Meeting Maya on those pages was like meeting myself in full. For the first time, as a young black girl, my experience was validated. And it still is, only now I sit at Maya's feet, beside her fireplace, hardly believing that, years after reading Caged Bird, she is my mentor and close friend. When we met in Baltimore more than 20 years ago, our bond was immediate. We talked as if we had known each other our entire lives; and throughout my twenties and in the years beyond, Maya brought clarity to my life lessons. Now we have what I call a mother-sister-friend relationship. She's the woman who can share my triumphs, chide me with hard truth and soothe me with words of comfort when I call her in my deepest pain.

The next question is obviously, how do I find this mentor? The Mentoring skills model given below helps us to identify the skills a mentor should have. It explains the skills both the mentors and mentees should display to achieve the maximum from a relationship. 

 

Do mentors walk that easily in life? Well yes and no. Yes, you will have to look and look hard. Sometimes, they are there in front of our eyes, but our busy schedules have prevented us from looking around or even focusing on building our future. 

No, when we feel we already know everything. Sometimes our egos blind us into believing we are already the best or we are too insecure to share that we need guidance. All I can say is that if I am growing, it is because I had great teachers and significant mentors. 

Poem - Cars driving on a highway

Ever wondered how cars moving on a highway are similar to people walking into your life?

Some drive alongside you peacefully for ages;

Some drive past you without a second glance;

Some respectfully  let you overtake, valuing your speed ;

Some annoyingly get into your way for a dumb thrill ;

Some zig-zag undeniably to reach their destination while

Some create tantrums and traffic and slow you down.

Some out of spite  and inner insecurities break all rules;

While some follow the rules so soundly to create a safe haven.

Whether the journey is for a moment or a lifetime, it definitely leaves a mark.