Jugaad: The Skill or Imagination to Find a Solution to Every Problem - Hindi

A flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way

The kitchen pipe has started leaking, and you can't find a plumber. It's a snowy winter day, and no one can come for help, or you can't afford to call a plumber.

Or, you are dressed in a fancy outfit and going to an important job interview, and you spilled coffee on your light-colored shirt. Either you’ll spend the entire meeting tolerating the stain on your shirt being stared at by your possible future boss, or you’ll find a way to hide it.

Or, your child's favorite toy is accidentally broken; he or she is crying so loudly that the whole neighborhood is gathering around you, and there is no other toy to console him or her.

And so on.

I could list examples like this until the end of this article, but you get the point. Situations that make you feel extremely helpless, that cause anger, and that you need to solve as soon as possible in order to be comfortable, and for that you need to be creative.

Photo by Nick Fox on Unsplash

I'm sure there are words in many languages for solutions in such situations, but in Hindi there is a word that has become quite famous for expressing such creative workarounds: Jugaad

Creativity is still often seen as something that artists or writers have to deal with and a talent that they must possess, even it is often treated like a stranger’s child, but it’s indeed a talent that must be used to get out of difficult situations and therefore must always be kept in a sharpened state and ready to use.

Jugaad is a word and concept that has both a good and a bad reputation in Indian culture. For example, a not very aesthetic and often broken-down means of transportation is also called a jugaad. But it is also seen by many publications as the philosophy at the core of Indian innovation.

A jugaad example, a sneaker as a phone holder - https://indianexpress.com/photos/trending-gallery/the-jugaad-technology-is-here-to-stay-these-pictures-will-show-you-why-5336271/2/

When it comes down to it, creative solutions don't just happen because we are bored. On the contrary, we resort to creativity out of necessity when we are in trouble, when we are left without a solution, or when we are at a loss as to what to do but have to find a way out. Then we create out of nothing; we come up with things that would never otherwise come to mind.

In India too, where people are settled layer by layer in a caste system and the vast majority of the population lives in poverty, it is obviously necessary to resort to 'creative' solutions in order to survive. I am sure that jugaad is not unfamiliar to the people of many countries where their people have to endure never ending difficulties. Nevertheless, the fact that a nation can use this concept as a lever to set an example for others is something to be admired.

Notes & Reads:

Navi Radjou is an author and scholar writing about innovation in the world. He has written two books about jugaad seeling over 250.000 copies around the world. Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal, Be Flexible, Generate Breakthrough Growth and Frugal Innovation: How to do More With Less. They seem to be good resources for those who are interested in the topic and want to go further.

Also, these are some more brief texts that would enlight us a bit more:

• Jugaad: A study in Indian ingenuity and improvisation (London School of Economics)

• Cambridge expert says Indian ‘jugaad’ is lesson to world (Hindustan Times)

• Jugaad: A New Growth Formula for Corporate America (Harvard Business Review)

And, the last one is even more illustrating what jugaad really is: 20 Best Jugaads By Indian Legends That Are Deserve The 'Great Indian Jugaad' Award 2020

Have a wonderful week and weekend.

Till next week,

— Gulsun

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