Harvard at the Kumbh

Harvard University is going to study the phenomenon of the Maha Kumbh, to understand the logistics and supply chain techniques being employed to handle the largest human agglomeration on earth efficiently. While this should help to enhance our skills in crowd dynamics and management, some explanation is also called for.

How and why should this premium institution shift its focus on to a sea of sadhus when both, knowledge of people management and supply chain techniques, are abundant in the West? Right from the turn of the twentieth century, the contribution by the West towards scientific management of large entities, quantities, or human groups, has been phenomenal. Henry Ford dramatically scaled up quantities and supply chain dynamics overnight, through the assembly line concept in 1908.

The Hawthorne research in Western Electric by Elton Mayo, Herzberg’s theory of motivation and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs helped us immensely in handling individuals and groups. Statistical methods, operations research, simulation and queuing theory, helped us to solve a variety of people, logistics and supply chain conundrums. Many achievements based on these applications are staggering even by today’s standards.

For instance, effective coordination and supply chain management ensured that 72 hours after a beam of steel was rolled in Bethlehem Steel in Pittsburgh, it was in position at the correct floor in the edifice of the Empire State Building, thereby avoiding inventory pile up and chaos at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 34th Street, among the busiest locations, in the world at that time.

Dodging ruthless surveillance by the Nazis, Eisenhower assembled and landed the biggest multi-nation combined forces at Normandy during “Operation overlord”, to eventually help win World War II. With such prodigious understanding of mass behaviour and bulk man and material management skills, what is the need to study pilgrims’ progress in an obscure North Indian town?

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES

Now for some lateral thinking. The blackout at New York and Katrina at New Orleans represent low points where resources could not be brought to manage the masses and their needs. Logistics, supply chain and crowd management floundered. On the other hand, Norman Schwarzkopf could assemble, the largest combined force post world war, in a blitzkrieg action during operation desert storm, to decimate the Iraqis.

Skills can be marshalled where exploration, annihilation, supremacy or competition are involved but not where maintenance, relief, status quo or satisfaction is the need. What is the relevance of all this to the study of sadhus ? Just this. It is refreshing to see that finally interest is building up in examining the roots of excellence in ordinary events.

Dabbawallas delivering lunch and the pious in prayer are also qualifying for studies by the eminent. Why not also study villages and communities that are crime-free or self-sufficient? Back to basics and bottom of the pyramid are finally becoming felt needs and not fads.

EXCELLENCE IN ROUTINE

Can there be excellence in the routine? As a representative sample, come to nondescript Wuyuan town, a hundred miles south of Shanghai. Members aged 50 plus regularly do community calisthenics in streetcorners. At 60 plus, grannies routinely cycle and drop grandchildren in schools and aged conservancy workers sweep streets, all of these in near zero temperatures and as per clockwork schedules. Apartments up to 5 floors do not have lifts as per law, and the geriatric crowd climbs with ease. Excellence resides even in the simple, and the routine. Spiritualism also leads to self-actualisation; dabba delivery and Kumbh Melas are examples of excellence in the ordinary.

(The author is an executive and freelance writer)

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