Dr. Atola Longkumer
Jabalpur, MP
Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, on whose birthday Teachers’ Day is celebrated in the country, was known as a great teacher with a humane heart and keen intellect. Radhakrishnan was a diplomat, scholar, philosopher, and President of India. He studied with one of the great education missionaries from Scotland, A.G. Hogg, in the early twentieth century at Madras Christian College (MCC), Chennai.
The beginning of Teachers’ Day in the country is traced to the magnanimity of Radhakrishnan. In 1962, when a group of his students wanted to celebrate his birthday, it is said that Dr. Radhakrishnan replied, “instead of celebrating my birthday separately, it would be my proud privilege if September 5 is observed as Teachers’ Day.” Since then each year September 5 provides the occasion to shower encomium and laudanum upon teachers.
On such day, when we celebrate Teachers’ Day, we inevitably recall our teachers, who have inculcated in us love of knowledge, taught us virtues of honesty, respect, justice, and love. I remember the teacher who corrected my pronunciation of ‘wilderness’, the teacher who was truly pleased to have one of her pupils excel in the university examinations in her subject, the teacher who saw my passion for reading and encouraged me to pursue higher studies. May their tribe increase! The love of literature and reading I cherish today was kindled by teachers in school, who taught English, who brought alive the lessons from Shakespeare’s plays such as: The Merchant of Venice. Vivid memories of lively narration of the elegant and witty Portia, The Quality of Mercy, John Milton’s Paradise Lost, The Solitary Reaper of Wordsworth are ever in the inner eye. On the flip side of such inspiring remembrance, there are also memories of those teachers who were mere mortals in their follies and meanness.
The responsibility of a teacher seems to be even more urgent and enormous in the present time. There are promising measures undertaken by the state to ensure quality education for all, such as, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, an initiative by the Central Government to provide universal elementary education for children ages 6-14. One of the undergirding principles is the commitment and participation of the community in ensuring all children have the opportunity to have access to quality education. One such is the role of the teacher.
But alas, to the dismay and angst of the people, despite such measures and initiatives there remain social ills and incidents related to the nurturers and channels of education.
In such times as ours, wherein the order of the day includes fake appointments of teachers, abuse of power and students by teachers, absenteeism, teachers that draw only salary, or employ proxy without performing the expected duties, the nobleness of the teacher seems an abysmal contradiction. There are also reports of physical and sexual abuse of children, negligence, manipulation, and favoritism. What purchase conscience and conscientiousness that education is supposed to instill in us?
In such times as ours, Naga people are called to reflect on the role of the teachers in building conscientious citizens and leaders for tomorrow. Teachers who take the profession of teaching being more than mere source of bread and butter are needed today. We need teachers who understand the worthwhile task of being a teacher, those that are crucial in producing citizens with community awareness, teachers who instill virtues of tolerance, compassion, love for knowledge, empathy and collective good. Teachers who challenge and prune the inherent selfishness, greed, aggressive and myopic mentality are the need of the hour for Naga society.
Teachers are given the critical task of nurturing conscientious citizens and leaders of the people.
Teachers are to impart an education that transforms individuals into thoughtful citizens not merely acquire degree certificates oriented towards a salaried job. Teaching is not only imparting knowledge and facts but inspiring wisdom that liberates from bias and selfishness.
Tolerance is a commodity in short supply among the Naga people, and given our basic differences in language, tolerance of the other is a virtue that needs to be cultivated deliberately and consciously. Tolerance of new ideas, changes, another perspective, another tribe will go a long way in creating a common identity with a common vision as a people.
Objectivity is another asset that is vital for ensuring an enlightened society. Tolerance and objectivity are two sides of the same coin. Being tolerant enables objectivity of perception, interpretation and opinion. Seeing and understanding situations from another’s perspective that is beyond one’s own instinctive response and opinion is a vital mark of an enlightened and liberated individual. Being objective creates the confidence to be self-critical and being enlightened to critique one’s own, be it opinions, cultures or people. The virtue of objectivity establishes measures that guarantee welfare of the society and not just one’s one security. Tolerance and objectivity ensures the condition of openness to new ways and changes, of seeing things in new ways, a new structuring that guarantees equality and good of all.
We need to raise leaders and citizens that will have these virtues of tolerance, objectivity and integrity in the midst of nepotism, arrogance, bribery, temptation of wealth, leaders who will work diligently and implement government programs for the welfare of the people without pocketing for their own personal use the funds meant for the progress of the people. How do we produce conscientious, creative and innovation leaders for the need of the community? These tasks call on the teachers in the society to renew their vision of being a teacher.
To such teachers who impart virtues for the common good will belong the crown and laurel of eternal recognition by society. Albert Camus, the French Nobel Laurete, author of The Plague, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. Camus dedicated his Noble Prize acceptance speech to his teacher, Louis Germain, who played a formative role in Camus’ personal progress.
A teacher is to impart knowledge and facts from books and life experiences and he/she that imparts the value of wisdom translating the learned knowledge and facts into actions beneficial for common good and affirmation of an equal life, is one that will be told of: “O teacher, thou have generated divine values, well done!”
