I am going break from the normal tradition of writing a report here. Writing a report requires a level of indifference- a feeling that is impossible to achieve in the presence of Rohan; so, here's my diary entry about the man, his method and 4 absolutely magnificent days.

For the benefit of the readers here, let me give a brief intro about him. Rohan Narse graduated from our institute in 1987 (Mechanical Engg). In his college days, Rohan was a versatile and lively student. He went on to do his Masters in IIM-B and subsequently worked for Goldman Sachs as an Investment Banker. As the years rolled by, Rohan started to achieve every goal he had set himself in life. Yet, he felt something missing, and himself slipping away into the cruel world of money. Then came the climactic moment of the accident, where he experienced a state of detachment from everything in this world - a moment of total emptiness. And thus began his journey In Search of Silence....

29th October 2011

Rohan arrived in Banaras on this afternoon. Aviral, Swapnika, Karan, Shruti and I met Rohan that evening for an introduction and to discuss some of the finer points of the workshop the next day. As we stood at the door of his Guest House room, I envisioned a paunchy, impatient corporate man. What I did not expect was to see a man, looking no older than 30, with biceps that were bigger than mine! The conversation that evening flowed freely, causally and with absolutely no awkwardness that might associate itself with an age gap of over 20 years. We ended up sitting at LC for over an hour.

After this, we decided to go for a boat ride in the ghats. For 45 minutes, 20 of which were spent in still water - we simply reveled in the beauty of the night and the calm silence that surrounded us and we drank in the glorious sights of the night lights along the ghats of Banaras. I simply remember it as a beautiful haze, waking up only to the last vestiges of Diwali celebration. We ended this evening with a dinner at the Ghats and prepared ourselves for a great session the next day.

Around 30 students had been shortlisted for a daylong seminar with Rohan on "Absolute Creativity: Breakthroughs in the Here and Now." The students covered the entire spectrum of first year to final year students, with almost equal participation of boys and girls. We, the volunteers, were also thrilled about the workshop as Rohan had assured us that it would be a "Life changing Experience".

Rohan kickstarted the workshop with introductions of the participants. He also shed some light into his life. Everyone introduced themselves, expressing their expectation from the workshop and what they want to accomplish at the end the day. There were different ideas: some came seeking clarity in life, for some workshop of such kind was entirely a new dimension, some were just curious about Rohan. Rohan started with "Body-Mind-Spirit" and encouraged the participants to look inwards. The program was divided in different sessions with breaks. Rohan had several personal chats with the students between sessions. Morning session was a communicative session, students expressed their inner most feelings, facts and incidences from the life etc. After lunch break, the session included many prolific activities. As we reached the evening session, everybody in the workshop bonded with one another, especially with Rohan. The change in the energy of the room was palpable. Everyone was joyful and in high spirits. Finally, all shared the transformation experienced in their own milieu. The day truly lived up to its hype and all the participants felt enriched and blessed by this opportunity.

1st November 2011

Rohan wanted to conduct a session for students en masse that focuses on invoking the inner caliber. Titled, 'Waking up to your Potential -NOW', Rohan enthralled the students with some mesmerizing videos and talk about how we can bring out everything we have suppressed and hidden from the world.

Rohan has a distinctive style of conducting his sessions. He is not limited to communicating by words, rather Rohan uses a multitude of Technological applications to get into your head and fundamentally change you. Armed with his Mac and a soundsystem, Rohan is a force when he put on those videos and music. All in all, the workshop was a huge success.

Some of the students personally interacted with Rohan after the workshop and expressed their deep gratitude for such a wonderful session. Some also felt confused about themselves - and while the lucky ones got some tete-a-tete sessions with Rohan, he promised to chat with the rest via other means.

I got talking with Rohan as he was scheduled to leave. I went in with the sole purpose of a legitimate interview, but 5 minutes into the conversation, I tore up my questions and simply let the conversation flow. Here are some of the highlights of the points raised during our conversation:

Rohan was extremely happy with the emotional maturity displayed by the students during these sessions. He attributed this to the learning curve in BHU, which affects every aspect of a person. He feels that this can be further enhanced by having an elective class in our 4th or 1st year - a Personal Growth Lab, which will attribute to making a person ready for the world and help them grow and achieve their fullest potential.

Rohan also felt that the creativity of a person is tremendously hampered if you have overcrowding in hostels. He says that every person has a space. A confined zone which if not encroached, leads to maximum productivity of that person. In sharing basis, the inner creativity of most students is suffocated and suppressed. He stressed that each of us need our own 'spot' in the campus - a place we can go twice or thrice a week, be alone, and simply let our minds free.

By,
Bharat Kumar (3rd year Ceramic Engg, email: bharat.kumar.cer09@itbhu.ac.in)
Shruti Gupta (3rd year Electrical Engg, email: shruti.gupta.ee09@itbhu.ac.in)