Teachers- the
shadow of Parents
The word for a teacher in Indian
traditions is ‘Guru’. The word Guru
means one who dispels darkness and helps one attain knowledge and
enlightenment. Since ancient times, the Gurus have assumed significant place in
our traditions. All our great mythological heroes were nurtured by their Gurus
and prepared them to fulfill their destiny. Thus, the teachers or Gurus have a
huge role to play in development of young minds. They are responsible for
shaping the mindsets of future generations. In this context, it is perhaps very
curious to explore the roles played by parents and teachers in our lives.
Our parents give us the most
precious gift- the life itself. It is said that human beings are born for a purpose.
And that is why the role of a teacher is of paramount importance. It is the
Guru who helps us accomplish this purpose by imparting necessary skills. In
ancient times, the shishyas (students) used to learn in residential school
called Gurukul which means ‘house of
Guru’. Thus, in those times the Guru literally used to assume the role of
parents to impart the necessary knowledge to the students.
The roles of teachers and parents
are not much different. Both nurture and inculcate various skills in children. However,
teachers especially in modern times are expected to perform specific roles. The
skills lacking in students are identified and the teachers are asked to help
students to achieve those skills. Thus, in this manner the teachers inculcate
the skills in students which prepare them for the life. The teachers have an
exclusive role to play. They have to mould themselves as per traits of
students. They have to adopt teaching methods to reach out to their students in
more interesting manner. In a way, the same way parents take care of their own
children, the teachers also nurture their students. Just like parents, they
have to be protective and at the same time they must be a bit stern so that
necessary discipline is also imparted. Unlike the parents, the stay with
teachers is for limited period. Once the teacher has imparted necessary
knowledge to the students, teachers then move on to new set of students. In
this manner, the mission of teachers continues forever.
The teachers play very vital role
in achieving dreams and aspirations of others. However, once they have given
sufficient skills to their students, teachers voluntarily take a step back. The
success of students is their reward and they do not expect anything out that
success. This act of selfless love is an indicator that even though they have
nurtured students like parents, the teachers never expects any rewards out of
that success i.e. like a river which flows in one direction and bestowing its
bounty to everyone who comes along her way!
In ancient times, Nara and Narayana were two
sages. They represented combination of action and wisdom. It is said that
Arjuna and Krishna were their re-incarnations. One can attribute the same roles
to students and teachers. The wisdom bestowed upon by the teachers guides
students in carrying out their actions. However, the teachers never expect
fruits of such action. Such selfless love has forged foundations of our culture
for time immemorial and it is will continue so for years to come!
-N.D.K. Nikhil
