Kabira said “Guru and God are standing, whom should I bow first”. Once GURUS were equivalent to Gods.
One of my teachers whom I really adore and who is also one of the most successful people in our profession keeps saying that one of his teachers in school changed his life and whatever he is, is because of his teacher. Even I had teachers in my life who were not any less than family members. Throughout my life I have heard and read stories of affection of teachers and the propensity of student teacher relationship.
But when I see news like this – “Class I Student In Water Tank, Senior Jumped In, Teachers Watched: Inquiry” it shakes my conviction on these “GODS”. (ndtv-news). This unfortunate incident occurred in a prestigious school of Delhi, Ryan International School in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj on 30th of January. School authorities said the boy (Divyansh) went missing from class and was found inside the pit which served as a refill tank. It is not clear if he had drowned. (ndtvnews) The principal, a teacher and three other staff members were arrested and investigation is being done.
Even after the body was spotted, the school authority did not bother to take it out and didn’t think what answer they will give to his parents. They acted professionally, (read irresponsibly) after all like businessmen. A senior risked his life and recovered the body of Divyansh. His body was sent to AIIMS for postmortem and details are awaited. AIIMS will also send forensic experts at the site of death for investigation.
Recently, similar incident occurred in Southwest Delhi where a five year old drowned in a septic tank in an MCD school in Kapashera. He had reportedly gone to use the washroom after school hours around 12 pm when he accidentally slipped and fell inside the open septic tank. He was trapped inside the tank for over an hour before choking to death. Yes many of us don’t know about this incident since it didn’t get enough coverage.
Reason?
We and the media. We because how many of us will be interested in the death of a child of middle class parents studying in a government school. And media because an incident in government school doesn’t make a breaking news and why to forget the money a private school can pay the media for not “defaming” them? It’s business after all.
Delhi High Court today questioned the existing government, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the school authorities. But are they really the ones to answer?
No!!
We should ask the question from ourselves. Where are our morals? Where is the human inside us? When did we become like this? When did the warmth of student teacher relationship go?How many of us genuinely feel the pain of a child who is not “our”? How many of us are ready to take a small “scratch” on our hand to save someone else’s child from dying.
This is an age where even blood relations have lost their meaning and what to say about other relationships. The student teacher relationship is in a similar phase. As chalk and blackboard have been replaced by projectors, warm hearted teachers have been replaced by professionals and the indebted students have been replaced by indifferent students who feel they are paying for the education and the teachers are not doing any “favor” on them by teaching. “GURUS” have been replaced by “teachers” who feel it’s just a job.
The extent of transformation of this relationship has gone to the extent that if you google-“teacher student” you will get results like –“teacher student romance”.
Therefore I conclude that GURUS have always been an avtar of God and they really are. With the passage of time, part time gurus started to develop and are becoming lesser a preacher and more of teacher. Preaching ultimately lost its way and part time teachers gained publicity. Not accusing all, but some teachers in robe of gurus tried to be god. But a fox can never be a lion.
Note: Image used in this post is only for representational purpose.
