About One Wholesome World
And The Co - Authors
What is One Wholesome World About ?
Our identification with limited notions of who we are is at the root of our current global crisis. We have forgotten our intrinsic wholeness. The time has now come for a new paradigm of development. When we awaken to our oneness with life, we become instrumental in manifesting joy, peace, and abundance in all that we do.
If you are committed to co-creating a harmonious, prosperous, just and sustainable future for all, this book is for you. In it, you will find many practical tools and resources to make a significant positive difference in your own spheres of work and life.
Your consciousness has attracted this book into your life. Irrespective of where you are in our world, and at what stage of life you are at, know that this is not a mere coincidence! Will you awaken to your own Wholeness, and join Hearts and Hands on this unfolding evolution towards One Wholesome World?
If the answer is a wholehearted “YES”, you know why this book has come into your life. Let’s joyfully work together to co-create a world that benefits all: A world that we can proudly bequeath to our children and the generations yet unborn.
The Co-authors of One Wholesome World
The Late Dr. Omkar Nath Wakhlu
Dr. Omkar Nath Wakhlu was a teacher, educationist, and an institution builder par excellence. With outstanding passion, devoted over fifty years of his life to research and education. His academic brilliance was manifested through the Commonwealth Research Fellowship that he received, enabling him to study in Britain and be awarded a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. He was also awarded the Alexander Von Humboldt Research Professorship by Germany and the Khosla Award of the University of Roorkee, India. Omkar’s served as a member of the Board of the Indian Institute of technology (IIT) Delhi, and as the principal of the Regional Engineering College (now IIT) Srinagar.
His integration of cross-functional knowledge of education, technology, and environment won him many accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Institution of Engineers (India) and the Learning Luminary Award of the L&OD Network (India). His spiritual unfoldment along with his professional excellence equipped him with an all-around perspective on development.
It is from this all-round unfoldment that the concept of ‘Wholesome Development’ was born.
Arun Wakhlu
Born in 1955, Arun Wakhlu, is the Founder Director and Chief Mentor of Pragati Leadership Institute, Pune, India . He is also the Chairman of Pragati Foundation, an NGO dedicated to unfolding Joy, Peace and Abundance through facilitating connections, conversations and co-creation. He is the initiator of Poorna Pune, (Compassionate Pune). Arun holds a B.Tech degree from IIT Delhi, and a PGDBA from IIM Ahmedabad.
An eloquent presenter, insightful coach and a Master Facilitator, Arun has logged over 30,000 hours of facilitation and coaching internationally. He has worked to develop leaders in leading organizations (Business, Education, NGOs and Governments). An accomplished writer, Arun has published more than twenty eight papers and written the award winning book “Managing from the Heart”.
He has helped pioneer the concept of “Wholesome Development” and “Wholesome Leadership” aimed at working from joy for prosperity with peace. Arun’s seven core strengths are Compassion, Creativity, Optimism, Enthusiasm, Relationship Building, Strategic Mindedness and Resilience. He loves LIFE , and sees it as Love In Full Expression!
Nitya Wakhlu
Nitya Wakhlu is the founder and Chief Visual Strategist at Drawbridge Innovations.
Nitya is best known for her expertise in designing group processes with the ability to synthesize and visualize conversations in real-time. She has more than 10 years of experience working as a visual practitioner and is proud to have served a diverse range of clients across three continents.
Nitya has a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering and an MBA focused on Human Resources and Industrial Relations. Nitya’s previous work experience includes her role at GE, where she worked as an Area Sales Manager in Consumer Finance – followed by her work as an L&D consultant with Pragati Leadership Institute, India.
Nitya has served on the board of directors of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners (IFVP) and helped shape the future of global visual practice. Things that make her eyes shine include learning about the brain, studying behavior change, improv theater and drinking (good) wine. She is based in the United States – in beautiful Portland, Oregon.
Dr. Omkar Nath Wakhlu
Dr. Omkar Nath Wakhlu is a teacher, educationist, and an institution builder par excellence. With outstanding passion, he has devoted over fifty years of his life to research and education. Dr. Wakhlu’s spiritual transcendence that began because of the religiously diverse land of Kashmir, grew into a profound understanding of the human race. His own academic brilliance is manifested through the Commonwealth Research Fellowship that he received, enabling him to study in Britain and be awarded a PhD from the University of Birmingham, UK. He was also awarded the Alexander Von Humboldt Research Professorship by Germany and the Khosla Award of the University of Roorkee, India.
His integration of cross-functional knowledge of education, technology, and environment has won him many accolades and equipped him with an all-round perspective on development. It is through this, that his concept of ‘Wholesome Development’ came about. His philosophy of people development is centered on the theme of ‘holistic attainment of potential’ which focuses on the systematic improvement of the innate abilities of people.
Omkar’s contribution as a member of the Board of Directors at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and as a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Tehri Dam Project, Uttarakhand, has been of great significance. He has served as the Principal of the Regional Engineering College (now NIT) Srinagar, the Honorary Secretary of the Governing Board of Gandhi Memorial College (Srinagar), and has served as a Member of the Boards of Vishwa Bharati Women’s’ Education Trust, the National School, Kashyapa School and the Vasantha Girls’ School in Srinagar. As a Guest Faculty at the Pragati Leadership Institute, he has advised many educational institutions on improving their approach and methodologies of teaching for improved results.
Over the years, Omkar has continued to inspire and motivate IAS Officers, policymakers, and teachers by sharing his vast experiences. He has shared at Asia Plateau, the conference center of Initiatives of Change, at Panchgani, India. Being fluent in English, German, Hindi, Urdu, Kashmiri, and Punjabi, he is the author of several books and many more papers, monographs, and articles related to education and the development of society.
Arun Wakhlu
A career that began after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in Electrical Engineering (1976) and working with NELCO for two years, Arun completed a post-graduate diploma course in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad (PGP 80). He continued his stint with the house of Tata in 1980 as part of the Tata Administrative Service (TAS), worked for Tata Motors, Jamshedpur, and MAP Consultants, Pune, before eventually starting Pragati Leadership in 1986 along with his partner Anu.
As a coach and facilitator in the areas of Leadership and Organizational Transformation, Arun has logged over 25,000 hours. Besides India, his work has taken him to France, USA, Australia, Singapore, Dubai, South Africa, Finland, The Netherlands and several other countries to serve leading Indian and international organizations and many NGOs. He has also served the UNDP and the Government of India. Arun’s avid interest and belief in people, along with his experience of working with cross-cultural teams internationally, has enabled him to design and facilitate many innovative programs.
He is the author of the award-winning and insightful book “Managing from the Heart”1. He is also the co-author of four books, over 30 papers, and the founder-chairman of the Pragati Leadership Institute. The need to reach out also led Arun (along with his partner, Anu) to start the Pragati Foundation, a Non- Government Organization based in Pune. He also leads project ‘Awaken-I’ committed to the vision of ‘Good Work for All’, and the ‘Poorna Pune’ project, aimed at catalyzing connection, conversation, and co-creation in the city of Pune, India.
Like his father Omkar, Arun has always valued inspirational teaching. He has taught ‘Corporate Ethics’ in the PGPX course at IIM (Ahmedabad) and ‘Managerial Oral Communication’ for the PGP at the same institute. His contribution as the Course Director for ‘Ethics and Values in Public Governance’, a program designed for the senior members of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), (under the auspices of the Initiatives of Change Centre for Governance), has been significant. The success and value addition of the program prompted the Government of India to develop National Facilitators for this program. Arun served as the Project Director for this intervention.
Arun passionately believes in and is working towards, facilitating the emergence of One Wholesome World – a world that is joyful, socially just, and healthy for all (including future generations) co-created by communities of people who are living and leading consciously. A man of varied interests, Arun enjoys conversations from the heart, meditation, trekking, dancing, and creative writing.
Nitya Wakhlu
A career that began after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in Electrical Engineering (1976) and working with NELCO for two years, Arun completed a post-graduate diploma course in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad (PGP 80). He continued his stint with the house of Tata in 1980 as part of the Tata Administrative Service (TAS), worked for Tata Motors, Jamshedpur, and MAP Consultants, Pune, before eventually starting Pragati Leadership in 1986 along with his partner Anu.