Allot A Day For Unlearning Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

Allot a day for unlearning

We have been learning
From the day we were born

We have become wise
And some of us learned
With all the information
We have been assimilating
With the help of our sense organs

We learn and make use of the
Knowledge for progressing
And some of us
Proved a point and some
Left behind their impacts on us

This learning, we all know,
Is for our advancement in life
And for ensuring a
Happy and harmonious living
With the people around
And for synchronized existence
With the environment we are in

At the same time
We might have noticed
That there used to be some learning,
Information, interpretation
And our action based on the above
Are not matching well with the aim
Of happy and harmonious existence
But leaving us in the mud of
Emotional disturbance

Such a knowledge and
Practice thereupon
Needs to be unlearned
So that we create and stay happily
In a nicely tuned environ

It would be vital
That we mark a day
Only to unlearn these
And go ahead with
Living in a better manner

In South India there is a tradition
Of marking a day each year
When we do not attempt to
Learn anything new
This falls on the ninth day
From the new moon day
in the sixth month of traditional calendar
15th Sep to 16 Oct for ready understanding

My understanding is that
Probably, this day was earmarked
To unlearn and get rid of
Such knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP)
Which have potential
For jeopardizing
Our progress
And well meant growth

So it will be wise
To examine your knowledge base
Attitude package and
Activity chart
And allot a day,
If possible, at a better frequency than yearly once
To unlearn them