Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Within
(This article is based on this post of mine on Facebook on 8 June 2020. It may help to read that post to gain context.)
It’s only fair to give credit where it is due, and I must applaud this organization (mentioned in the Facebook post referred to earlier) for having taken up this and other issues related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and created a global task force to address the issue in a deep, multi-pronged manner. I happen to be part of this task force (that is not related to this incident though) and it has been a great ground to reflect on my relationship with DEI personally and professionally over the last year.
In my professional circles, the DEI conversation always brings in mixed responses, with regional realities ranging from nascency to obsolescence. Having said that, the inner conversation around DEI still seems globally nascent and need to be stirred. My personal interest in this space has largely been around neurodiversity, stemming from being a Mensan and being borderline autistic. There’s still very little reflection and action around neurodiversity in organizational spaces, though I suppose I understand, given how a lot of systems around us are created for the neurotypical, by the neurotypical.
Here are some random musings around DEI from an Indic lens, based on reflections particularly during the last year:
Why DEI
Nature does not need to work on DEI. It is naturally diverse, equitable and inclusive. Having said that, while everything in nature seeks to belong in the ecosystem, humans seek to stand out, creating separation from the ecosystem, and hence the need for DEI. In that, DEI is our path to find our wholeness again, to heal the separation that we wilfully (continue to) cause.
Diversity
There’s a story of the Indian philosopher Adi Shankaracharya who is credited with consolidating the non-dual doctrine. In a casteist system that he was influenced by, Shankaracharya once came across Chandala (a generic term for someone who takes care of bodies in a crematorium, typically a person from a ‘lower’ caste) and asked the latter to move away, asserting notions of purity of the ‘higher’ caste and resisting contamination by the lower. Chandala is said to have stood his ground and challenged him, by asking him what he means by moving away, as someone who proclaimed the non-dual nature of the universe. Did he wish to move matter away from matter, or spirit away from spirit? Did he believe that the Sun preferred to be reflected in the pristine waters of a river than in the cesspools of the streets of Chandala? It is said that this encounter impacted Shankaracharya profoundly. He began to truly appreciate diversity in society and the need for different perspectives, professions, world views, while at the same time, noticing the non-dual essence of the universe that permeates through the diversity.
During the pandemic, we have all hopefully had our encounters with our own Shankaracharyas and Chandalas within: the parts of us that are celebrated and glamourised and the ones that are relegated to the background and oppressed. In dark times, it is the oppressed parts of us that often have the resilience to take the lead and survive, for they are used to navigate the darkness. If we do notice this diversity within, how do we work towards justice and equity on the way forward?
Equity
The local name for India is Bhaarat, named after the mythical king Bharat. One of the early stories in the epic Mahabharata is about the dilemma that Bharat went through in choosing his successor. He had several sons, and the tradition was to hand over the reigns to the eldest son, when a king retired. Bharat, however, was not comfortable and believed that none of his own progeny was fit to rule the kingdom. On the other hand, he had been observing a commoner, Bhumanyu, who was brave and strong and showed all the hallmarks of a good statesman. After much deliberation, he made a choice that was equitable and justified for the good of the kingdom. He brought his sons around, and got everyone to accept Bhumanyu as the successor. His discernment paid off and Bhumanyu went on to be a successful ruler.
I suppose all of us have been challenged with the question of equity in the last year: we have each had to reassess our priorities and choose who and what is really essential and appropriate as we lead ourselves into the future. Breaking habits and leaving behind the familiar for the sake of equity and the larger good is not easy, and yet, the call of our times.
Inclusion
In the famed story of the churn of the ocean, referred to as the samudra manthan in Sanskrit, both the Gods and the demons have a chance to procure the amrita — the nectar of life. Naturally, the metaphor points at how all parts of us — the good, the bad and the ugly — are included by life in terms of being given a chance. Which part is immortalised — what we are remembered for — depends upon what emerges stronger in the eternal tug of war between conflicting parts. Nevertheless, life does not deny any part of itself, even as our egos might.
What have we fed and nurtured and included in ourselves, and around us, in the recent past? What are we in the process of immortalising?
Engaging with DEI is engaging in a constant, conscious churn. Whether it is in the context of self, or an organization, or the larger human-made system, DEI is the work of churning the consciousness of a system. It is unsettling, challenging and yet, invariably always digs out treasures that lie buried deep within, much like the mythical churn of the ocean eventually brought up Lakshmi — the archetype of wealth, harmony and prosperity.
#RukminiIyer #ExultSolutions #DEI
