Pre-Colloquium - Day 3: September 24. Meeting the engineers
The 24th
was quite an extraordinary day. The delegates miraculously
managed to wake up and make a move by 10 AM, arriving at
the Water Resources Organization conference hall within the
Public Works Department building complex. Here the group
was welcomed by Nanba and Trimoor.
First
up, the koodam was formed and the delegates were welcomed
by the Change Management Group (CMG) of Tamil Nadu.
Choosing names and drawing cards saying ‘I AM A
___(cynic/realist/pioneer/dreamer)’ was followed by
splitting up into groups. Batches of eight were taken into
the exhibition hall while Trimoor gave the rest a sterling
insider’s account of the realities of the workings of the
Indian administrative system.
What an exhibition it was! With 40 engineers having worked
on it into the wee hours, the setting was marvelous. Little
cubicles with thematic chart displays and a dedicated
speaker to guide the group through that aspect of the
journey of the CMG dotted the room. There were wonderfully
evocative photographs from the past four years, and some
demonstrative flow charts, graphs and poll results, in
addition to vision statements and the framework and
methodology used within the CMG. It would be impossible to
recount everything on display, let alone share the
experience of the delegates’ interaction with the
engineers, but hopefully the opportunity to witness it all
first hand will be open to us this evening, during the
exhibition at IC&SR itself at the time of the Water
Dialogue. Hence let’s keep it for then.
Later in the evening there was a meeting at the Chennai
Press Club, where several of the international delegates
spoke about their countries’ scenarios. A lot of
participants took the chance afforded by this evening
having been kept free, to explore parts of the city. Some
from the team at the Press Club headed on to Trimoor’s
office for a long discussion prior to paying a visit to
Fabindia and ending the day in style at The Dhabba at
Besant Nagar.
A second highlight to the day, after a rewarding morning
session, came in the form of rain. The skies opened up and
it poured like mad. What a fitting way to begin the
colloquium! Informal discussion went on late into the
night, as everyone readied themselves mentally for the
three days ahead.