About the Workshop

Making a Better World Possible

A Proposal for a Humane and Viable Alternative
Are you someone who is looking to do something meaningful with your life?
Are you someone who believes that the world should be a better place?
Are you someone who wants to make a difference?
There are many of us who would answer all of those questions with an emphatic YES! yet the
choices and opportunities put before us by our society, education and culture often seem to be very
inadequate in helping us translate our intentions into meaningful practice. We are all faced with
numerous questions and issues in all facets of our own lives, as well as that of society at large, to which
there seem to be no answers in sight. Some of these perplexing questions could be phrased as follows:

Is our life merely a routine to meet ones material needs, or is it possible to lead intellectually and
emotionally fulfilling lives, and meet our economic requirements alongside?
Do human relationships have to be about conflict, differences, inequality, emotional distress and
unhappy compromises, or is it possible to have joyous, contented, mutually enriching interpersonal
relationships?
Is the education of children just about rote, memorisation and eventually getting better jobs, or is it
possible to have an educational alternative that not only helps children become thinking individuals
but also better human beings?
Is unhappiness, meaninglessness and discontent an inherent part of human life or is it possible for us
to live purposeful, meaningful lives?
Are exploitation, poverty, injustice, discrimination and war an inevitable part of human society or is
it possible to have a just and equitable society?
Are development and ecological sustainability always going to be at loggerheads with one another,
or is possible to develop and utilise technology for the benefit of humanity, without disturbing the
ecological balance of our planet?

The long history of mankind has seen numerous attempts to answer the above questions and create a
better world. As a consequence, human history, especially that of the last five hundred years has seen
much social, economic and technological achievement. While all these efforts have yielded considerable
results on numerous fronts, they have also failed to solve many of the problems that face humanity. In
fact, in several cases, they have even created new ones. For example, it is not difficult to see that the
world we live in has an intensifying ecological imbalance. Similarly, while various forms of exploitation
have been abolished, the current economic systems have also created much inequality and dehumanizing
poverty: the people at the bottom of the pyramid struggle for the most basic needs like adequate food,
clean water, and an assured means of livelihood. However, the greater irony of our materialistconsumerist way of life is that even the so-called successful people in todays world those at the top of
the pyramid - often struggle with a sense of meaninglessness in their personal lives, difficult
interpersonal relationships, lack of time for their children and family, and various other conflicts and

unhappy compromises in their lives. Crime, violence and an escalation in fundamentalist conflicts are
also an increasingly common feature of most societies across the world today.
So while on one side we have development and rising GDPs, newer discoveries in science and
technology, more comforts, globalisation and the promise of opportunities, and the like, it does not
take a very discerning observer to see that beneath this veneer much is also amiss. In fact, along all the
significant dimensions of our lives - namely, personal fulfilment, interpersonal relationships in the
family and community, socio-economic equity and well being, and ecological harmony - there is much
left to be desired.
As mentioned earlier, humankind has seen many attempts to address the aforementioned dimensions of
human lives. Numerous philosophies, life-paradigms, socio-political movements and social experiments
have sought solutions ranging from personal salvation and promises of another world on the one hand,
to economic development, equality of opportunities, freedom from injustice and exploitation and the
creation of classless societies, on the other. Self-help books, psychotherapy, meditation and spiritual
techniques have been researched, propounded and tried. While all of these have contributed in some way
to humankind, no ideology, movement or experiment has yet been able to deliver a world where:

Individuals are happy, healthy and fulfilled

Inter-personal relationships are joyous and mutually fulfilling, and all families have a secure and
purposeful means of livelihood

Society is just and humane, and

Ecological harmony is maintained in all its richness and diversity
It is easy to see that the innate human pursuit of happiness and fulfillment will not fructify unless we
live such a life, inhabit such a world. The need for such a world, however, remains

So the question still remains

Is there any alternative to the existing social, economic, cultural order? Is there any philosophy/set of
ideas/worldview that creates the possibilities of a meaningful way of life, and a humane, just and
sustainable society? It can also be seen that any such understanding would need to be:
Comprehensive, i.e., it harmoniously interweaves all facets of human life namely, the personal,
inter-personal, social or ecological
Universal, i.e. be acceptable to, and satisfying for all human beings - across place, time or
circumstance
Can be Evaluated and Realised by each individual

Our Proposition
Saha-Astitvavaad (which can be roughly translated as Co-existentialism) is one such proposal that
provides an understanding of all aspects of human life and society. Researched by A. Nagraj, (of
Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh) this philosophy provides a basis for harmonious solutions across all
facets of human life for personal problems, inter-personal relationships, education, social and
economic structures, means of production and an ecologically sustainable way of life. Over the past
decade a wide spectrum of people have been introduced to these ideas students and teachers of some

of the best educational institutions in the country, social activists, farmers, journalists, businessmen,
working men and women, housewives and all of them have found themselves in agreement with these
ideas.

About the workshop

The workshop presents an introduction to the Saha-Astitvavaad philosophy over a period of 5-6 days.
We lay forth a definite exposition of what a human being is, what we seek, of everything around us, and
consequently of a purposeful and humane way of life. These expositions go on to offer resolutions along
all dimensions of human life, namely education, health, production and exchange, socio-economic
organization, justice and ecological sustenance. The workshop helps us identify our true needs and
goals; in the process also help evaluate what we currently believe to be our needs and goals.
Some indicative issues that get discussed in the workshop
SELF:
Who/What am I ? What
are my needs?
Who / what is a
complete human being?
Is there a purpose to my
life?
Is human success /
excellence always
relative?
SOCIETY:
What kind of society do
we aspire to become?
What are the various
dimensions of a humane
society?
How should Society be
organised?
What is my role in
Society?

FAMILY:
What is the purpose of a
family?
What do we expect in
relationships? What does
it mean to be a good
parent / child / sibling /
friend?
How can relationships be
mutually fulfilling?
NATURE & THE UNIVERSE:
What are the laws /cycles /
relationships in nature that we
humans need to be aware of?
Is there abundance or scarcity
in Nature?
Is there some meaning /
purpose in the Universe? Can
it be understood by humans?
What is my role in it?

The workshop is not a set of Dos and Donts; it does not tell one what one should become, or what
one should do. It is essentially a proposal; a proposal for happy / meaningful / fulfilling living for
all human beings. A proposal implies that we all need to evaluate it for our self, by our self, within our
self. It is an exercise in self-exploration, which unfolds into an understanding of everything around us.
We would like to invite thinking, questioning, inquisitive and alternative-seeking individuals who would
like to understand these ideas, and could consequently lead meaningful lives and play an important role
in creating a just and humane society. This invitation is for such a beginning.

For more information, contact:

Atishi Marlena: atishi@gmail.com

Praveen Singh: pravsing@gmail.com