In an era where 'Knowledge is Power' and 'The Pen is mightier than the sword', teachers must indeed be centre stage, or are they? Whilst we are becoming an increasingly literate population, are we genuinely embracing education in the way we should? Is learning to sign your name enough, or is a holistic appreciation of the art of living more important? For school teaches us the latter, but are we equipped with the basic skills required to become good human beings who contribute to society and treasure our responsibilities as much as our rights?
We have inherited a land where the most ancient universities existed long before a lot of the world even discovered organised farming. Why have most of our modern universities been relegated to the late 100s when it comes to global rankings. This isn't to say that India doesn't produce Sundar Pichai's or Narayana Murthy's, but they are scarcer than the rate at which Silicon Valley alone has churned out legends like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and many more.
Perhaps what we need is an attitudinal shift, where it's okay to not fit the stereotype and be the rebel who sees things differently until the rest of the world is ready to catch up. And to nurture the precious curiosity of such flighty minds, we need the next generation of teachers to recognise such talent, be bolder in nurturing their rough edges, rather than round them off with the file of societal dogma, just so that they fit in.
Another lost tradition is the gurukuls of yore, where the guru-shishya parampara was born. This was where young boys and girls spent time with the teacher learning about a variety of disciplines, rather than just poring over tomes. Staying away from home inculcates a sense of independence which is an extremely important experience in the formative years of youth. This is how one finds oneself and has an opportunity to become intimately acquainted with what lies within.
And instruction isn't always verbal, as with communication, a majority of it is contextual or transmitted, and this is just as important, if not more than what is explicitly taught. The modern gurukuls are India's best moonshot at becoming the Vishwaguru that we aim to be, a fusion of the ancient wisdom of the East, and the modern sciences, where the Vratta meets intermittent fasting, where Ayurveda meets modern medicine, and where tradition meets reason.
Gone are the days of 'The East is East, and the West is West, and never the Twain shall meet'. Tomorrow is a balance, a carefully curated fusion, where the best of all that we know comes together to create a new universal consciousness that will herald the beginning of a more conscious world, a world with a collective conscience.
And our teachers will be the thought leaders, who will lead us into this new dawn, one where we restore the lost glory of our motherland and truly become the guiding light for the world in a time where the pandemic has made an already strife-torn world even more on the edge. When all else is shut, the only way out is in. Through our unique blend of modern science and mindfulness, being out of breath with excitement and deep breathing, and being in the world, and yet not of it, we will engineer the blueprint of the next generations of conscious human beings. Happy Teachers' Day!
