Fragmentation- when a project is handed over, the tasks are usually broken down, to help ramp up the project. This involves many intersections, co-ordinations and keen management to keep it all together.
Being a student of history and archaeology, India was known to consist of fragmented states which later saw "reason" and we had the Mahajanapadas. Indian history is often taught in a very disjointed way in school and colleges. We learn North Indian History and South Indian History in separate semesters. And for a long time I hardly connected the two! Even today, I find it difficult to recall who were the rulers in Southern Indian when say the Guptas or Ashoka ruled? Why are we taught History in such a fashion? Was there never any interaction between the two divides? Was travel and commerce, art and social interaction, so separated in time and geography?
Even the Great Shankaracharya brought about the unification of what is today Hinduism. Few people today are aware that Shaktism, Vaishnavism and Shaivism were distinct sects and in the distant past kingdoms of these different sects fought wars and destroyed each others sacred places of worship. The Great One unified it, but skirmishes at the Kumbh Mela between the sages of both sects still eye to be the first to dip into the sacred waters at that auspicious time.
The Indian Freedom struggle once again united people and states across India to fight the British, then why are we once again, wanting Fragmentation, our own states, dividing ourselves into smaller units?? Does governance of smaller states help? Why can't the politicians and people work together to evenly develop regions across India? What are the stumbling blocks besides corruption? A lack of will?? - on whose part??
What brought this thought on??- Well I see more and more IT startups in India, all emerging from bigger companies, Every "entrepreneur" wants his own company, his own way of working, grows and becomes a big company and the "experienced" people under him, then start their own, by moving with a client out. And here again we see fragmentation. But what I hardly see is domain specific fragmentation. If this was possible, then at least, the smaller companies could all come together as a syndicate, under a single umbrella, and still service clients, sharing revenue and bringing about more efficiency and effectiveness in "product innovation".
The same products churned out in different ways or with one specific new feature- where is the innovation? The Wheel was an innovative idea - which led to series of studies on bullock cart wheels and which gives the optimum, then came care wheels, airplane wheels, skating wheels. But have you ever seen or heard of another idea which helps runs bullock carts and cars other than wheels- we have plagurised the prehistoric human's innovative idea and just churned the same product into a variety of forms ( milk and its various products from whey, butter, cheese, sweets, etc).
Have we really progressed? Technology helps us communicate but think of the several misunderstandings it often brings about, just via email how you write can be interpreted as rude and offensive, how you speak could be read as disinterest, when it may just be a manner misinterpreted depending on both parties state of mind at that given time. Across a table its easily perceived and accordingly discussed. How will my blog hastily scrawled just to put forth an idea be construed- each sentence taken from its context and ripped apart? Or just another blog full of fragmented words and ideas, not taking it anywhere?
These are just seeds strewn among the winds of change. Which among these will take root and blossom into future thoughts, is still way off. Care to nurture this? Add your own thoughts to help this grow.
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