The mission and vision of gurus

As in every other year, ‘Teachers Day’, or ‘Shikshak Diwas’, was celebrated in India on September 5 this year. That day marks the birth anniversary of philosopher, scholar and Bharat Ratna awardee, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the first Vice President of India, who went on to become the President of the country. Students organise special programmes in schools and colleges, as a token of respect and gratitude for teachers on that day. It is only appropriate that such a day should be observed, and such activities undertaken on that day. Many other countries celebrate the Teachers Day on different dates.

World Teachers Day, a joint initiative of the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Education International Teachers Day, is celebrated worldwide, exactly a month later, October 5. It was on that day, in 1994, that an ILO/UNESCO recommendation, concerning the status of teachers, was adopted at a specially convened inter-governmental conference in Paris. That recommendation also covered the rights, responsibilities and international standards for initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, teaching and learning conditions.

The history of the world is replete with many instances, of teachers inspiring their pupils to great heights of performance and achievement.

Lord Krishna, in the Hindu epic, ‘Mahabharat’, exhorts the Pandava warrior, Arjuna, to perform his duty as a Kshatriya (a member of the warrior race), by taking up arms against the enemy Kaurava army. The message, delivered through the poem ‘Bhagavat Gita,’ is regarded as the fountain of wisdom, and a guide for leading a life of fulfilment. Lord Krishna is, therefore, revered as ‘Jagat Guru’ or the Guru for the entire Universe.

Some of the most famous Gurus of Hindu mythology include Brihaspati, the God of Jupiter, and the Guru of the Devas, Dronacharya in Mahabharat and Vashisht in Ramayana. Other religions, such as Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, saw great teacher philosophers such as Gautama Buddha, Mahavira and Guru Gobind Singh to spread the message of faith in God and service to humanity through their teachings.

Gautama Buddha was the first religious teacher for Buddhists. He was famously known for the noble ‘Eightfold Path’, which taught disciples and followers of Buddhism the principles of ethical conduct, thought and meditation.

The main teacher, of Jainism, was the 24th Tirthankara, Mahavira, who taught that observing the laws of Ahimsa or non-violence, Satya or truth, Asteya or non-stealing, Brahmacharya or chastity, and Aparigraha or detachment is necessary for spiritual liberation. Sikhs are the disciples of 10 Sikh Gurus, or spiritual teachers, beginning with Guru Nanak and ending with Guru Gobind Singh. For them, a Guru is a spiritual guide, or a teacher, a person able to connect with God and, therefore, known as ‘Guru Prasad’, meaning Guru’s Grace.

The Triumvirate of Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya, in more recent times were also held in high esteem as great gurus.

The ‘Guru’ in Hindu philosophy is placed on a high pedestal. The Mantra extolling the importance of a Guru in Hindu philosophy goes: “Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwaraha//

Guru Sakshat Parabrahma, Tasmai Sri Guruvey Namaha.” It appeals to the Trinity of Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, honouring the human and spiritual Gurus, including the Guru within.

Jesus Christ is held in supreme reverence as the Master Teacher of the ages, because no other teacher ever loved his students as He did. Jesus loved the truth, and He taught all men to love it, too.

Likewise, in Islam, a teacher is expected not only to fear Allah, but to instill the fear of God in the students. Prophet Muhammad, though illiterate, was chosen by Allah to be the Final Messenger and the Perfect Teacher, to Muslims.

Confucius, in ancient China, and Plato, and Aristotle, in ancient Greece, are other examples, of revered teachers.

It is not only Gods, Saints and Seers, who are revered as teachers. People who, by virtue of their wisdom and experience, pass on important lessons to the disciples in different walks of life such as the fine arts sports and games are also revered as Gurus. The teacher-pupil relationship also extends to fields such as games and sports and the fine arts. In cricket, it was coach Ramakant Achrekar, who helped Sachin Tendulkar blossom into a great cricketer and reach the pinnacles of glory and be decorated by the award of Bharat Ratna. Likewise, Pullela Gopichand of Hyderabad helped great badminton players such as Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, as also Srikant Kadambi and Parupalli Kashyap, to reach dizzying heights of performance and achievement at the international level.

Time was when teachers were paid such meagre salaries that they, almost always, had to resort to private tutoring, outside school/college hours, to supplement their incomes. As a Telugu saying has it, the noble profession of teaching was regarded as a last resort of person seeking livelihoods. Fortunately, however, better sense has prevailed on the powers that be, and teachers, today, are compensated adequately, though, perhaps, not as handsomely as they ought to be, compared to the quality and importance of their effort.

Among the most fulfilling, and rewarding, activities, that I have taken up, after retiring from service, has been the mentoring of students preparing for the civil services examinations. I was quite pleased and surprised when people started sending me greetings on Teacher’s Day, although I have never, in the strictest sense, been a qualified teacher.

Practically, throughout my academic career, from primary school to post graduation, I had the benefit of supplementing what I learnt, in the institutions, with outside coaching. I have many pleasant (and some quite unpleasant, like a tutor rapping me on the knuckles for being inattentive!), memories of those teachers.

The formal system of education, that is followed in schools, colleges and universities, has often failed to find favour with great thinkers and writers. The irrepressible Mark Twain once famously said, “Don’t let your boy’s schooling interfere with his education.” That was just another way of saying that you cannot make a good person out of a child simply by cramming his head full of Latin and Algebra. In a different context, Twain even went on to add, that education consists mainly of what one has unlearned!

(The writer is formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)