LEARNING THE LESSONS FROM OUTSIDE OUR SYLLABUS








“Live as if you were to die tomorrow,” said Mahatma Gandhi, “Learn as if you were to live forever.”

Kanchan, an efficient professional and mother. I have known her for almost twenty-five years but I haven’t taught her. Today, she had mentioned me on a FB Post dedicated to one’s teachers. The caption of the Post was very interesting:
“That teacher who teacher us something more valuable than our syllabus...”

It was followed by an image from the film, ‘Taare Zameen Par’ - Aamir Khan (as Nikumbh, the teacher) with Darsheel Safary (as Ishaan Awasthi, the student)…

Below that, it was concluded –
‘Deserves a massive respect’!

Now, these are very fulfilling moments in life, to say the least. I did not think twice before I replied to Kanchan:

“Hi Kanchan, that is so kind of you... I am humbled! Your kind words prove, that our true learning is neither limited to our 'syllabus' nor to the boundaries of our school. ‘Nobody can teach you,’ OSHO used to say, ‘But, you can learn from anybody’!" Thanks again for your kind words. Love and regards.”

Learning is never confined to the boundaries of our schools… and, it is certainly not confined to our text-book syllabus. That’s what Mahatma Gandhi meant when he said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow… and learn as if you were to live forever.”
 LEAR
Learning is for life… It’s a life-long affair!

Similarly, when OSHO said, “Nobody can teach you, yet you can learn from anybody,” what he meant was the obvious truth, that our teachers will keep appearing in our lives as long as we remain teachable… open, humble and receptive…

The day we think we ‘know it all’, yes, that is the last day of our school!

I had been to my younger-bother Vivek’s place yesterday. His son, Ritesh, who is in twelfth-standard (Science), wants to joint Merchant Navy. My brother and his wife wanted me to pep Ritesh when I was with them, yesterday…

Ristesh was open to learn… It was easy for me to impart to him what I believed in about ‘success’… I spent the next one hour talking about Success and achievements… I particularly stressed on the need to develop success consciousness. “Are you able to see your dream in your mind?” I asked Ritesh, “If you are able to see it, it becomes is to achieve. When your mind is constantly conscious of what you want to achieve, it invariably takes you there… You meet right kind of people, read right kind of books, and most importantly, you will learn to say ‘No’ to things which are your blocks and hindrances on your way to success…”

And, this morning, while teaching my student, Kavish, I was very clear to him… “To be part of your ‘success story’, is my greatest joy… Not your ‘failure story’. So, stop giving excuses… They don’t help. In fact, they destroy you!”

True. Everything, that we need to succeed in life, is not given in our text-book syllabus… A significant portion of our syllabus lies outside our text books… And, true: every teacher, who teaches us those ‘valuable lessons’ from outside our text-book syllabus,  appears when the student in us is ‘ready’… humble and hungry. 

Long ago, Socrates had said: “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” 

That teacher, who kindles the eternal flame in us, is the one who teaches us something more valuable than our syllabus… Such a teacher, as my friend Kanchan thought, today, deserves a massive respect.


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Kanchangauri  Aryamane





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