The three-day conference, actually called the ‘un-conference’, titled 'Taking Diversions and U-turns', on sustainable futures and spirituality was organised at Loyola College, Chennai in last month. The un-conference brought together about 70 participants including academicians, scientists, activists, environmentalists, journalists and research scholars from Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, US and South Asia including India. Freelance journalist and councilor LAHDC Tsewang Rigzin from Leh Ladakh was also one of the participants. 

  

 The ‘un-conference’ made participants to ponder on the notion of existing development pattern which has destabilized the eco-system thereby posing enormous threat to the co-existence of all living beings on Earth. Concerns were also expressed that the planet earth is running out of resources for future generations just as a Native American saying goes, "We have not inherited the earth from our ancestors but we have borrowed it from our children." To address planetary concerns, the ‘un-conference’ stressed on bringing about a paradigm shift in the whole way of the existing pattern of so-called development by 'transcending traditional boundaries and work from inter-disciplinary or inter-religious or non-linear approaches'.

 

Since ‘un-conference’ is a methodology that builds on the power of informal participatory interactions as it seeks to create a space for deep dialogue, friendship and the unfolding of collective wisdom, it sees each participant as an active resource person and co-creator of the process as opposed to an 'active presenter-passive recipient' model. Participants enjoyed the ‘un-conference’ as everyone was engaged in conversation and dialogues. The event raised hopes that there are possibilities also for taking u-turns and diversions to lean and de-learn from the existing pattern of so called ‘development and prosperity’.

 

The ‘un-conference’ was inaugurated by the Director UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan Kiran Mehra Kepelman while Ambassador Prof K.P Fabian was the keynote speaker on the concluding day. 

The ‘un-conference’ was organised by the Global Centre for the Study of Sustainable Futures and Spirituality (GCSSFS), an organisation that engages individuals and communities in meaningful conversations and dialogues to actively imagine and creatively design sustainable futures in collaboration with Loyola College Chennai, an autonomous Jesuit institution under the University of Madras,  considered to be among handful of India's most prestigious institutions for degree programmes in commerce, arts, natural sciences and social sciences with having consistently ranked amongst the top five institutions in India for those programs..