Teachers as nation-builders

Teachers as nation builders

“Teachers are the backbone of any country, the pillars upon which all the aspirations

are converted into realities”. - Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

A nation is not just the name of a piece of land with boundaries, but the epitome of its culture, morals, ethics, ideologies and much more. If a nation is a building, then its citizens are its building blocks, and if a nation is a garden then its natives are the flowers blooming there. Thus, a nation is the reflection of the deeds and actions of its natives. Glory of a nation is directly proportional to the overall progress of its natives; progress is not just only in a materialistic sense but also ethical, moral and spiritual progress.

Responsible citizens of tomorrow are children of today. They are like growing buds, which if nurtured properly with love and care, blossom into beautiful flowers and spread their fragrance everywhere; the fragrance which not only provides peace and tranquillity but also brings a lot of admiration and fame to the garden to which these flowers belong. The garden along with its flowers are each others’ identity, but the one who, by his dedicated and sincere effort, brings the garden of heaven on earth, is none other than the gardener. He is the one who nurtures and protects the delicate buds from all the harm of the world and helps them flourish and bloom into beautiful flowers thus bringing glory to the garden. Such a heavenly garden is our nation and the flowers are its citizens, but the real gardener is none other than the teacher who nurtures young minds, protects them from the negativities of the world, and makes them strong enough to bear the adversities of harsh environment and also teaches them to cherish the moments of peace and tranquillity.

Since time immemorial, teachers in our country have been regarded as the creator (Brahma), the nurturer(Vishnu), and the destroyer(Mahesh), as they create, in young minds, a desire to gain knowledge and wisdom, nurture those minds with utmost care and responsibility thus making them strong and wise enough to choose the just path, and also destroys the ignorance and negativity within them, thus purifying the inner self of their disciples. A noble teacher, by showering rays of his blessings, makes his disciples shine like gems thus bringing wealth of prosperity and honour not only to the individual but to the entire nation. From mythology to history, there is much evidence proving the immense strength a teacher possesses, who, by his weapons of knowledge and wisdom, can mould a common man into a mighty ruler of the world or can build or destroy the entire kingdom. Such is the power of a great teacher that, by merely worshipping his name, a devoted disciple can become skilled like Ekalavya; and only a teacher, like Chankaya, by his wisdom, can transform an ordinary boy into a mighty ruler as Chandragupta Maurya.

I bow, with gratitude, at the feet of our great sages and rishis whose pearls of wisdom, in the form of Vedas and Upanishad, are still serving as our guiding light; and will always remain indebted to Swami Ramkrishna Paramhansa, who gifted, the entire world, a gem in the form of Swami Vivekananda. It was the blessings of his guru due to which Swami Vivekananda became the Guru of the whole world, thus bringing unparalleled glory and honour, not only to his Guru but to the entire nation.

The role of a teacher is not confined to imparting information about a particular subject within the four walls of a classroom; it is much more than that. Teaching, nowadays, has become merely a profession of educating about some theories and phenomena, whereas education itself has become synonymous with a mad rush for grades and the collection of University degrees. This is not the real meaning of education. In the words of Swami Vivekananda, “If education is identical with information, the libraries are the greatest sages in the world, and encyclopaedia is the rishis”. The real aim of education is to develop the intellectual as well as moral and ethical strength of students, to teach them to face adversities of life with dignity and emerge victorious without compromising on self-respect. After parents, it is a teacher who helps youth in becoming a responsible citizen; a citizen whose actions are always devoted towards the betterment of the nation as well as of the whole world. Only a teacher can teach his students to follow the path of righteousness even if the whole world is against them, to respect the diversity of thoughts and people, but also be able to listen to the voice of his soul amidst uproar. A real teacher never tries to mould his students into his own shadow but helps them explore their real selves, understand their true strengths and accept and overcome their shortcomings. He teaches them to work hard to fulfil their dreams but also to cherish the journey, to be ambitious for success but also to be aware of not letting that ambition turn into mad pursuit, to always fight against evils with courage and emerge victorious but also to accept defeat, if encountered, with grace and a hope of winning with more strength. A teacher teaches students to take responsibility for the consequences of their deeds, to be humble and be able to accept and learn from their mistakes. Thus, a teacher makes his students capable of walking the journey of life without losing themselves.

The citizens of a nation are its building blocks, and, during tough times, the strength of their character determines the strength of the nation. Thus, the contribution of teachers towards developing that core strength plays a pivotal role.

Though, the teachers of today still possess that immense power to build a nation of strong-willed natives yet somewhere, clouds of materialistic illusion, have diminished the warmth and shine of their real selves. There is a need to revive the ever-existing pure and selfless bond shared by a teacher and a student; a bond where a student imbibes the blissful wisdom offered by the teacher, and, in turn, the teacher receives a sense of satisfaction for justifying his role as nation builder.

Education is the foundation of every nation and teachers are the one responsible for creating this strong foundation on which the entire nation stands. While talking about education, Nelson Mandela once said, “The collapse of education is the collapse of the nation”. This famous statement by Nelson Mandela highlights the importance of a strong education system for a nation, and the responsibility of creating and maintaining such a strong system lies on the shoulders of the teachers of the nation.

In the end, all I wish is that teachers of today and tomorrow will always maintain the dignity and respect of their designation as nation builders; the designation earned by the selfless and dedicated efforts of our great teachers of the past. For us as students, the only way of paying tribute to our teachers is to work, with selfless dedication and sincerity, towards strengthening the foundation of our nation so that it keeps on shining like the brightest star amongst other nations, illuminating the entire world.