“How does newness come into the world? How is it born? Of what fusions, translations, conjoinings is it made? How does it survive, extreme and dangerous as it is? What compromises, what deals, what betrayals of its secret nature must it make to stave off the wrecking crew, the exterminating angel, the guillotine? Is birth always a fall? Do angels have wings? Can humans fly?”

– Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie

The Santa Fe Institute describes novelty in biological, social, and technological systems as the feature that provides the variety on which evolutionary processes act. But how does newness— both advantageous and unsuccessful — arise in the first place, and how does it define the surprisingly common evolutionary processes in these seemingly disparate realms? In Les Misérables, Victor Hugo states that progress is the mode for mankind. Progress is building on what has happened – we need the wisdom of the past to create a better tomorrow. Isaac Newton postulated that the reason why we can see far today is because we stand on the shoulder of giants. Don Henley of the Eagles in his interview by Billy Joel reiterated on the same about music by saying “We are all standing on the shoulders of somebody, and we need to know who those people are“. But as Bob Iger rightly points out “You can’t allow tradition to get in the way of innovation. There’s a need to respect the past, but it’s a mistake to revere your past.” Design is an art of thinking ahead and predicting possible futures. “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” was Henry Ford’s famous quote on his reason of disrupting the then mode for domestic ground transportation using horse carriages.

INNOVATION = INVENTION + COMMERCIALIZATION DESIGN PHILOSOPHIES – The Bauhaus Methodology – The MAYA Principle – STEM and STEAM IMAGINE-DESIGN-CREATE The MANTHAN Maturity Model

In today’s world, although it is very important to put customer first and go thru the process of assessing their wants and usage, disruption requires thinking out of the box for products and services that aim to surprise and delight them, have them anticipatory, craving for the next new totally different experience.

Knowledge is Power (Francis Bacon) but imagination is more important than knowledge (Albert Einstein).

Defining the future in this new paradigm requires imagination – looking beyond the knowledge of artifact creation and invention, to engineering systems that are nimble, flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the customer and the world. They should keep in step with the progression of technology, our new understanding of the universe we live in and our self-introspection of who we are. It should also account for all our inalienable rights, be mindful of our place in history, of our position amongst the living and the particles that constitute our being.

It is with this intent that we present our Design Philosophy MANTHAN^TM. As we seek quantifiable parallels across these diverse systems, we ask: where does novelty come from? What are the factors and the processes that come together to create innovations?

The word MANTHAN^TM literally means “churning”, and other meanings may be deep contemplation, churning of facts, analysis aimed at a solution or conclusion. In our context we will refer to it as a new way of brainstorming melding Strategic Intent with Story Telling, Design Thinking, Systems Engineering and Actionable Intelligence. We will use the tenets of Hard tech Engineering, a mélange of mechanical and electrical engineering driven by technology, to enable designing future products and services in conjunction with building an ecosystem to make it happen.

Please review the links on the right to know more about MANTHAN. Some of the links would need a password to protect our IP.

NI+IN UCHIL – Founder, CEO & Technical Evangelist
nitin.uchil@numorpho.com

A story be told, and ChatGPT does it well:

The story of Samudra Manthan is a famous episode from Hindu mythology that involves a joint effort by the gods (Devas) and the demons (Asuras) to churn the ocean of milk (Kshira Sagara) in order to obtain the nectar of immortality (amrita). The churning was a way for both parties to obtain rewards, but it also showcased the interplay of divine forces and the consequences of their actions.

The Beginning:

The story begins with the gods and demons agreeing to work together to churn the ocean in order to obtain precious treasures, including the nectar of immortality. They approach Lord Vishnu for guidance, who suggests using Mount Mandara as the churning rod and Vasuki, the king of serpents, as the churning rope.

Churning the Ocean:

The demons hold the head of Vasuki, while the gods hold its tail, and they start churning the ocean. However, as the churning process progresses, the mountain starts sinking into the ocean due to its weight. To prevent this, Lord Vishnu takes the form of Kurma (a tortoise) and supports the mountain on his back.

The Emergence of Treasures:

As the ocean is churned, it starts yielding various treasures. First, the poison Halahala emerges, threatening to destroy the world. Lord Shiva comes forward and drinks the poison to save the universe, but it leaves a blue stain on his throat, which is why he’s often depicted with a blue throat (Neelkantha).

After the poison is dealt with, numerous divine and celestial treasures emerge, including the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu, the divine horse Ucchaishravas, the celestial elephant Airavata, and various other precious gems and items.

Emergence of Goddess Lakshmi and Nectar:

Finally, after a long and arduous process, Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, emerges from the ocean and chooses Lord Vishnu as her consort.

As the churning continues, Dhanvantari, the divine physician, emerges carrying a pot of amrita, the nectar of immortality. The gods and demons eagerly vie for possession of the nectar, as they understand its immense power.

Deception and Divine Intervention:

Realizing that the demons might misuse the nectar, Lord Vishnu takes matters into his hands. He disguises himself as Mohini, an enchanting female form, and offers to distribute the nectar among both groups. He cleverly serves the nectar to the gods first, but tricks the demons by giving them an ordinary drink that doesn’t grant immortality.

The Aftermath:

The gods, now fortified with the nectar, gain the upper hand and defeat the demons. This episode illustrates the recurring theme of the eternal struggle between good and evil, as well as the idea that immortality and true enlightenment cannot be achieved through material means alone.

The Samudra Manthan serves as an allegory for the challenges and rewards of spiritual practice, the importance of cooperation, the deceptive nature of desires, and the ultimate victory of divine forces over darkness.

This story is found in various Hindu scriptures, including the Puranas, and has been retold and depicted in different forms throughout Indian culture and art.