What is it about the current generation in India that sets it apart culturally? I've mused over the question many a time, yet never have I been able to find a definitive answer.
I'm sure you found the question vague. We dress in western fashion. We prefer the western language over ours. We accept the western education. We see 'western' as the bench mark. Yes, there is just too much of 'western' in this paragraph as well as in our lives.
'Education is truly what defines a person' sounds like a sentence lifted from an essay written by a fifth grader but is very true. The western education is what is required to survive practically in the current world, one may argue, but the Indian system of education is what defined it culturally in the past. A modern world Indian parent wouldn't even consider enrolling her/his ward in a Gurukula. The answer to the question "Why isn't the Gurukula system of education practical in the current world?" is "It is too superior to be practical in the current world."
Over the past centuries, the Gurukula system has faded away, giving way to modern day schools as we know them today. 'Gurukulas' are described in past tense in textbooks of the current system. However, they aren't completely extinct, thanks to Purohits who still practise it.
As I was carrying out my Yajur Upakarma (sacred thread ceremony) rituals, I glanced at the twenty odd little boys who had accompanied the 'main Purohit' to help him out with the proceedings, all dressed in dhotis tied in traditional style and head half shaved with a small tuft in the back (kudumi, sikha). They bowed to their Guru in respect and carried out the tasks he had ordered them to.
It was a working day at the Gurukula for them, a practical class on how to carry out the Upakarma rituals. The dhoti was their uniform, the Purohit, their teacher. It was all analogous to a modern day classroom.
The boys' faces sparkled with an innocence a 10-year-old-school-going-kid now lacks. The boys were in their Bhramacharyasharma stage, where Vedas are studied under the guidance of teachers at the Gurukula. Though analogous in classroom pattern, these are two very different education systems. In a Gurukula, the sishya (student) is required to stay with his Guru away from his parents throughout his Bhramacharyasharma stage.
Any classroom is incomplete without the notorious ones. The notorious one among the ones who were present on that day reached out to the tuft of another fellow sishya and pulled it.
These kids look seemingly unperturbed by the fact that they lead a life very different from a mainstream kid of their same age. 'The kid distributing the thread' passed by the 'little boy from the apartment' meddling with his iPad without taking a second to glance at him. The act, to me, showed the kids' acceptance of their detachment from the modern world amenities. They lead the simple life, devoid of most of the comforts the modern kid fancies.
The Vedas are their syllabus. The Vedas are some of the oldest writings ever known to mankind, invaluable gifts from Rishis. They teach the philosophy and principles of life which the western-influenced kid today lacks. Had he/she been introduced to the Vedas at a young age, he/she would have had a cultural identity of his/her own.
This is exactly what our generation lacks, a cultural identity. The western man is staying true to his principles, the Indian isn't.
As I continued looking at these kids of Purohits, I wondered how they have a legacy to preserve. It is a matter of surprise that the Vedic culture scarcely prevails amidst distractions of the modern world.
These kids, probably have not realised the responsibility they hold yet, they need to uphold what truly sets our country apart from the rest of the world, the Vedas.
'Education is truly what defines a person' sounds like a sentence lifted from an essay written by a fifth grader but is very true. The western education is what is required to survive practically in the current world, one may argue, but the Indian system of education is what defined it culturally in the past. A modern world Indian parent wouldn't even consider enrolling her/his ward in a Gurukula. The answer to the question "Why isn't the Gurukula system of education practical in the current world?" is "It is too superior to be practical in the current world."
Over the past centuries, the Gurukula system has faded away, giving way to modern day schools as we know them today. 'Gurukulas' are described in past tense in textbooks of the current system. However, they aren't completely extinct, thanks to Purohits who still practise it.
As I was carrying out my Yajur Upakarma (sacred thread ceremony) rituals, I glanced at the twenty odd little boys who had accompanied the 'main Purohit' to help him out with the proceedings, all dressed in dhotis tied in traditional style and head half shaved with a small tuft in the back (kudumi, sikha). They bowed to their Guru in respect and carried out the tasks he had ordered them to.
It was a working day at the Gurukula for them, a practical class on how to carry out the Upakarma rituals. The dhoti was their uniform, the Purohit, their teacher. It was all analogous to a modern day classroom.
The boys' faces sparkled with an innocence a 10-year-old-school-going-kid now lacks. The boys were in their Bhramacharyasharma stage, where Vedas are studied under the guidance of teachers at the Gurukula. Though analogous in classroom pattern, these are two very different education systems. In a Gurukula, the sishya (student) is required to stay with his Guru away from his parents throughout his Bhramacharyasharma stage.
Any classroom is incomplete without the notorious ones. The notorious one among the ones who were present on that day reached out to the tuft of another fellow sishya and pulled it.
These kids look seemingly unperturbed by the fact that they lead a life very different from a mainstream kid of their same age. 'The kid distributing the thread' passed by the 'little boy from the apartment' meddling with his iPad without taking a second to glance at him. The act, to me, showed the kids' acceptance of their detachment from the modern world amenities. They lead the simple life, devoid of most of the comforts the modern kid fancies.
The Vedas are their syllabus. The Vedas are some of the oldest writings ever known to mankind, invaluable gifts from Rishis. They teach the philosophy and principles of life which the western-influenced kid today lacks. Had he/she been introduced to the Vedas at a young age, he/she would have had a cultural identity of his/her own.
This is exactly what our generation lacks, a cultural identity. The western man is staying true to his principles, the Indian isn't.
As I continued looking at these kids of Purohits, I wondered how they have a legacy to preserve. It is a matter of surprise that the Vedic culture scarcely prevails amidst distractions of the modern world.
These kids, probably have not realised the responsibility they hold yet, they need to uphold what truly sets our country apart from the rest of the world, the Vedas.
Well said! The erosion of values in the society is another reason for people not taking up this system of study.
ReplyDeletehey Ae ve jay!!! Ur writings are awesome!! Keep on writing more and more!! U have a lot of foriegn fans who are eagarly waiting for your poems! Please do write and emerge as the most successful person in the world!! I am waiting, people are waiting!!
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