Page 43 - HERE AND NOW Dec 2022

to us, the ISABS administration team of Subhojit, Vennaa and Mohan did a great job in managing
all the logistics.

The design process also held the value of blending the themes together rather than holding them
in separate compartments. For example, when we began by thinking of telling stories of ISABS,
we also designed it using the café method so that people could mix, connect, and celebrate while
co-creating the story. Similarly, when we designed the session on music and poetry, we brought
in the element of celebrating each other by writing letters or poems.

It was also important for us to keep the design light, provide space for people to freely flow and
find their own rhythm while allowing processes to emerge in the moment. We knew only too
well that our community rebels against things they are forced to do and hence choice needed to
be provided - always!

The next challenge was to communicate the event and the design to the community in a manner
that would generate excitement, curiosity and signing up. Our initial efforts in that direction met
with a tepid response. Sunita focused exclusively on this area along with Ruchi to bring creativity
and energy to our communication process. The results started showing up when nominations to
the event surged.

To cut a long story short, we were on tenterhooks till we concluded the event and announced
lunch on the second day. We knew that the ISABS community was not totally predictable, and
that anything could happen that could completely change the process! We were prepared to
abandon the design, if need be, and deal with the moment. I believe that the magnitude of the
moment and the love we all hold for our dear institution won the day and every moment was
one of connection, co-creation, and celebration.

The design team had just one regret. Ruchi, who was one of the founders of the GJ planning
group and had worked tirelessly to make this happen, couldn’t make it to the event because of
personal circumstances. We missed her presence, and she missed being there too.

The ISABS Golden Jubilee helped us to honor our past and dream of our future while strongly
being connected to the present. We will celebrate a fabulous past and a brighter future as an
institution when we celebrate ISABS’s Diamond Jubilee.

I hope to be there!

- R. Sankarasubramanian with inputs from some erstwhile GJ core team members
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