CHANAKYA – The Teacher: An Introspection
(This article is in the form of an appeal to all elites with a request to please read and think. It is inspired by a video recently sent to me by my colleague and a friend Er. Vijendra Singh, retired Executive Director M.P.E.B. and time to time exchange of thoughts with Er. Ramesh Kant Pandey, retired Executive Director Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board. I have an association with both of them over last 5 decades. This is neither a historical treatise nor a commentary. Moreover, it is based on analysis of conversations in the serial. While doing so dialogues, postures and gestures, inevitable to imbibe dramatic effects, in the TV Serial Chanakya have been filtered out. The serial was first time telecast in 91-92 on DD and is available on YouTube. This article is an effort to objectively convey our assimilations to those who can make difference by collective complementing of efforts for the larger good.)
[This video is not from the TV Serial referred to in this article. It has been compressed. It is from unknown source and hence we regret our inability to acknowledge. Considering the relevance of the video in this article it is used in this selfless initiative.]
Dear Aary,
Pranam!!!
December 04, 2021
Five days ago I started viewing of episodes of TV Serial Chanakya. On first day it was 3 episodes, but as I went ahead I did not realize that in Four days I have reached last episode. These episodes are beyond entertainment or a historical account. Conversations in it were viewed, introspected and evaluated in context of our selfless educational initiative Interactive Online Mentoring Sessions (IOMS). It is driven with a spirit of Personal Social Responsibility (PSR) in a non-organizational, non-remunerative, non-commercial and non-political manner.
Finally, the last 47th episode was completed yesterday night and I could sleep over the series. When I woke up in the morning I was filled with an intense urge to consolidate my restlessness. These are brought out here as under –
Background:
1. Chanakya lived at an age, stage and era, about 2300 years ago (Birth 375 BCE - Death, 283 BCE). It was socially, economically, politically and geographically different from that we are living in.
2. Chanakya was a teacher of Political Science at Taxila Vidhyapeet, the highest in order of the time, while I am a naïve person in political science.
3. Chanakya was a descendent of a family of prominent teachers in Economics. Economics and Political Science have a close inter connection,
4. Chanakya had a rage against dynasty of Magadh. This rage was due to - (a) his father was killed for being upright against the rule, (b) he was denied any consideration for his prayers for welfare of the state and nation on two occasions. As against this, I had experienced minor turbulences during service. But, after 27 years of service, I suffered a major jolt during 1999-2000, when no work was allotted to me. Then I was a very senior executive.
5. Chanakya chose his path at a very early stage of life, while I chose this path of a teacher to deploy my passion to serve the necessity of grooming deprived children and infuse in them competence to compete. This is an era where education had already become highly commercial activity.
6. Chanakya is a success story of a teacher who integrated a nation fragmented into small kingdoms and rulers into Bharat, One Nation. Then the only means of communication was through messenger. Whereas, in prevalent era of Information Technology, despite committed efforts of a decade, we are struggling to sustain continuity of our educational initiative.
7. Chanakya lived in an era where education was a pursuit of excellence. In prevalent era, largely education has become a means to assimilate wealth, power and all other associated benefits.
8. Chanakya travelled bare handed all the way from Patliputra to Taxila to fulfill his desire to learn political science with a few similar students. In prevalent era there is fierce competition among professional institutes. Moreover, there is a fleet of seekers of admission in these costly commercial institutes. Education has turned into a big business opportunity.
Assimilations:
1. Teaching is just not a job or a duty. It is an act of passion, commitment and perseverance driven by inspiration.
2. A Teacher assumes a responsibility to mould thought process of his pupils. It is on the lines of human values, culture, and national integrity. He does it while mentoring his pupils in respective professions. This is the legacy that we cherish as a nation. It is bestowed upon us by hundreds of generations through their penances of over thousands of years in succession.
3. Teacher needs to selflessly perpetuate and enrich the cultural legacy.
4. Only a selfless Teacher can be fearlessly outright in his mission, vision and actions.
5. There is a Teacher in every person.
6. Unfortunately, Teacher in a person gets manifested only when a person directly or indirectly suffers from an emotional, financial or political jolt. This is a nothing but hypocrisy.
7. A true Teacher thinks, speaks and acts beyond self and exposes himself to any risk for the cause that he espouses.
8. Human values, culture, sociology, economics, politics are essential dimensions of human life. They are closely interconnected and mutually balanced like strings of excellently crafted an intricate spider-web.
9. It is extremely important for every person, especially among elites, to understand dimensions of human life and judiciously preview every though and act before he lets it out.
10. Higher the position occupied by a person in life, more he becomes responsible. His every utterance and act has a far reaching consequences. Its reverberations are experienced everywhere; not only down in the family, but also in social, organizational and national pyramid. Its effects are experienced in generations to follow. Higher the position deeper are the consequences.
11. History it is understanding of the person who narrates it. It is a stale story. It needs a review and referred to at every stage of life. It cannot be perpetuated blindly. We need to ensure that errors in past are not repeated and only its merits are carried forward.
Take Away: Historians may have different opinions about Vishnugupt (another name of Chanakya also known as Kautilya). But, he could live what he was because - (a) he was selfless, (b) he was not only a teacher of political science but he practiced it in interest of united Bharat, (c) he neither aimed nor lived on the gains from his political involvements, (d) teaching was not only his passion but a purpose of life for the larger good that he had envisioned in childhood, (e) his subsequent learnings and experiences firmed his conviction, vision. It helped him to achieve his purpose of united Bharat.
Teacher bears upon himself a responsibility to enable his pupils not only for their livelihood but a moral, intellectual and professional strength to wisely uphold the truth and the larger good.
Elites must invoke Teacher in them.
Elites must deploy their affordance not for their likes or dislikes, but for the necessity of the larger good. It must be in a manner which is sustainable.
Elites, by virtue of their intellectual power, are blessed enough physically and financially. They are, therefore, better placed than others to make a difference and initiate a positive change.
Absence of discharge of PSR by elites, for whatever justification, is not a wise act. It is, rather, an unpardonable dishonesty on intellectual, professional and moral planes.
Conclusions: Democracy is not new to our country. Our country has grown with it since immemorable times. Name of Ganpati (leader of Gan i.e. common people) in our culture is an evidence of it.
Time waits for none. Let us awake, arise and move ahead. We have a responsibility to perpetuate our rich legacy and trim our historical aberrations. While doing so, we have to vehemently denounce expansionist approaches, seen in our neighbours China and Pakistan. This requires to unfurl flags of peace, harmony, mutual respect, coexistence and collective prosperity around the world. This necessitates us to first grow united and become strong so that history of invasions on our mother land and betrayal does not repeat. This is a time-independent reality and a universal truth.
I am sure that our collective-cum-determined efforts would create foot prints for our youngsters to create brighter future and glory of माँ भारती. This must be done without discrimination to the sons of the soil, and we must say aloud the principles of our ancient civilization, a true democracy, basic tenets of democracy, cited in the following verses, -
And
अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम्। उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्॥
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