The Indian experience is best explained with the Indian traffic as a metaphor – first day I was super scared, the chaos, the left oriented driving, yet no clear rules on overtaking left or right lanes, opposite drivers coming towards you, cows, pedestrians, motorbikes, riksja, trucks etc… yet the adaptivity of this traffic is intriguing to witnesses. The feedback systeem is very clear and functions superwel: one HONKS when one wishes to pass, notify your position, or wishes to ventilate frustration… and all traffic will respond accordingly and directly… a perfect feedbackloop! The balancing act of take and give way and the interplay in this. I even felt safe in this traffic!
Participants do not (seem to) appear angry, frustrated or entitled… this traffic system appears as a mixture of democracy, capitalism, socialism, inclusion of diversity… ? This might be a solution to many wicked problems we are facing in our 21st century… as a (Dutch) designer I aim to untangle wicked problems, trying to be ahead of the game… but this is not an option in India, since your thinking will be outdated each second, better find a solution on spot: “Jugaad” is the appropriate word here. I learned the term: Jugaad (definition on wikipedia: a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way. “countries around the world are beginning to adopt jugaad in order to maximise resources”.
The amazing flexibility in India to deal with circumstances, the Indian traffic is a great example to explore how this culture functions… everyone goes where there is any option top go, do not think too much ahead on possible consequences, neither to deep in reflections hindsight, yet be in the now. It was an amazing relief to find myself able to reconsider my ways of thinking and doing, and change habits to explore differently for a change. And I learned… so much. So what I apply as takeaway is directly just do it, try it, go for it.. teach, talk, open the dialog, and make people play, question me, and question them, their assumptions, to design instant experiments to find out where we align, disagree or find common ground… on design, on finding impact, on creating and ideation… all designing aspects have passed on a daily basis, I loved it.
My conclusion so far: people in India are resourceful, playful, inventive, flexible, responsive and agile, sine they just have to be… and the word “respons able” as I learned from Donna Haraway came to mind.
Trying to explain why, I found this quote: “Schneider’s ethics of response-ability thus rethinks relationality as something that always already anticipates and perpetually reinaugurates possibilities for response.”
I still feel I am lacking or ill equipped to find the right words to describe my thinking, India is still making me think soo much, while it made me act so much when I was there…. food for thoughts, happy to hear yours… let’s dialog!
So what I apply as takeaway is directly just do it, try it, go for it.. teach, talk, open the dialog, and make people play, question me, and question them, their assumptions, to design instant experiments to find out where we align, disagree or find common ground… on design, on finding impact, on creating and ideation… all designing aspects have passed on a daily basis, I loved it. Horn please!
