New-age gurukul

Teachers and students of Bluebells International School,Kailash Colony,talk about the Guru-Shishya tradition that has undergone a marked change

Bhavana Bhasin Phull

The concept of the Guru-Shishya Parampara in Indian culture has always been an important aspect of education. In ancient India,when a child reached his seventh year,he was put under the tutelage of a suitable teacher. He moved into the Guru’s ashram or house and stayed with him for the next few years,acquiring in-depth knowledge. In the Indian tradition,any disciple paying his respect to his elders through Abhivandan introduced himself not as his father’s son,but as belonging to so and so gurukul. Learning,as understood from the Upanishads,is a journey on which the teacher took the disciple,from the familiar to the unfamiliar,from the known to the unknown and from the concrete to the abstract. The Guru made him struggle through a process of questioning and reasoning to arrive at theories that were validated,corroborated or rejected and then encouraged the student to search for answers by steering him in the right direction.

Today,the institutionalised educational environment,with thousands of students,probably does not allow the Guru or the disciple to attain such a relationship. It has subscribed to the common belief that success in the classroom or the acquisition of a complex skill can be achieved by plain repetition or by reinforcement of simple and identical patterns of response. The learner’s need for an atmosphere of freedom and self-reliance in the learning process and his psychological growth is completely sidelined.

Drawing from ancient scriptures,Swami Vivekananda also talks of “education” as the manifestation of the potential divinity in man,which,he also adds,is unique in each individual. It is the job of a Guru to bring out the uniqueness of each disciple. The modern theory of intelligence and people like Edward de Bono and Howard Gardner are advocating the acceptance of Lateral Thinking and Creative Thinking that will bring out the best in each child.

The school community is not always a neutral setting for children. Schools can facilitate a pupil’s journey of discovery about their own identity,other people and the world around them. This helps children to formulate their own view of the world,and to manage and articulate their own emotions. The school community can also reinforce the development of aggressive responses to conflict,however the school community is influenced by many internal and external factors such as the social context,the media,and the environment. The interpersonal relationships,and the style and approach to teaching are as important as the content of the curriculum. In this context,peace education becomes the need of the hour.

It is imperative for India’s pallid,non-inspiring educational institutions to start foreseeing a future in which talent imprisoned in the educational institutions breaks forth to enjoy the world beyond the classrooms under the able guidance of the teacher who can be more of a mentor. This going back,as it were,to the Guru-Shishya Parampara,will empower the individual to develop and perfect special skills that do not come under the stamp of “regular” or “standard” qualifications and achievements.

Head,Social Work Department

Richa Aggarwal

Arjun’s Guru Dronacharya ,Hellen Keller’s teacher Anne Sullivan,Sachin Tendulkar’s coach Ramakant Achrekar,Swami Vivekananda’s guru Ramakrishna — it is easy to mention these great teachers and bask in the glory of how important teachers are in a person’s life.

The more pertinent question is how the teacher-student relationship in this modern world is different from earlier times and the role that a modern teacher should play in a person’s life. The Guru-Shishya Parampara is the soul of the tradition of India,and embodies the living and learning relationship between master and pupil. The tradition signifies the complete emotional,intellectual and spiritual surrender of the ardent shishya to the guru. In olden days,gurukuls used to be the universities and colleges of learning. The disciple would acquire knowledge on all fields of learning: be it geography,mathematics or laws of physics or music,dance and other fine arts or even horseriding and archery — all used to be taught by the same Guru. It had the love that an infant has for his mother. The traditional way,wherein the Shishya remains with his Guru as a family member,gradually vanished with the disappearance of Gurukuls. Now,one can see a new shade of relationship between the Guru and the Shishya. Gone are the days when the Shishya touched the feet of Guru — now the relationship between Guru and Shishya is friendly in order to have a better understanding so that hurdles in the course of training can be resolved better ,which otherwise can’t be achieved due to hesitation in opening up before a Guru.

As someone rightly stated,“Parents are first teachers and teachers are second parents.” Every teacher should be a mentor to his student. Basically the teacher should trust the student and the student should trust the teacher — if this is done,a good relationship is developed,which not only helps in career-building but also in building better nations.

The student-teacher relationship should be like a blossom of a flower spreading its fragrance in all directions. The role of the teacher is no longer that of a lit candle that guides the students. In today’s world,it’s that of a matchstick that ignites the candle that the students themselves hold,and reignite it if it extinguishes.

PGT Economics

Ruhani Chopra

From the shade of trees to air-conditioned classrooms. From wood to smart boards. From feathers to gel pens. This interesting spectrum,in layman’s terms,scales the time line from the Gurukul era to the Smart Class era.

We’re living the fast life. Everything has been transformed to adapt to our super speed. How then,can classrooms lag behind? The new camaraderie between technology and classrooms has changed the way we study,observe,absorb and learn. Being a part of such a classroom myself,I can give a first-hand account of how now a new excitement lingers amid the student fraternity,how interactive classrooms now are,how easily concepts are now understood,and how a classroom has now become a sleep-free zone!

But in our need for super speed,have we forgotten the relationships inside that classroom? The awe,the respect for the teacher,the feeling that no matter what we do,we can never repay our teacher for all that we’ve imbibed from him. The love,the admiration,there is a need to revive them. There is a need to prevent ourselves and our emotions from becoming mechanic in the midst of machinery. For even though we’ve come a long way from the shade of trees to air-conditioned classrooms,our roots of the “Guru-Shishya Gyan tradition” still hold significance.

Class X B

Aayushi Anand

My lexicon reports that a teacher is a person who teaches but I have something different to report:

Teachers may be many,preachers may be many,but very few teach their preaching and very few preach their teaching.

I also have to report that all my teachers have been a sacred conduit of wisdom and guidance. To teach is to touch forever,and like alchemists,my teachers have helped me purify my soul. My ‘Gurus’ are an ocean of good thoughts,which never seems to dry up.

The best ornament that decorates a human being is education. A ‘Guru’,with his pedagogy,teaches the science of living and bequeaths posterity with the knowledge he embodies.

Ignorance impairs the true vision of oneself and the amalgamation of ‘Gu’ and ‘Ru’,i.e. darkness and the one who removes,it eclipses this ignorance. The nearest English word for ‘guru’ is great and student-teacher relation implies this.

My greatest ‘gurudakshina’ to my teachers is my reverence and admiration for them and this makes the classroom a sylvan paradise. Time has altered this Parampara,but the devotion to our ‘Gurus’ remains the same.

Sab Dharti Kagaz Karu,Lekhani sab Ban Raye.

Sath Samundra Ki Masi Karu Guru Gun Likha Na Jaye (“Dear gods,forgive me,for I shall worship my teacher over thee.”)

Venerating and perpetuating this ‘parampara’ is as important as abiding by one’s religion.

Class X B