September 10, 2014
 

Sadbhav Mission

B16, Sarvodaya Enclave, New Delhi 110017

 

 

Prof. V. K. Tripathi

Convenor

 

Shri Narendra Modi

Hon’ble Prime Minister

South Block

New Delhi 110001

 

September 10, 2014

 

Sub.: Prime Minister’s Address to Children on Shikshak Divas

 

Hon’ble Sir,

            Shikshak Divas has a sanctity. It has been an occasion i) for teachers to introspect and realize that a lamp lights as long as it burns itself, a teacher can teach only as long as he keeps learning, and ii) for students to express their love and gratitude towards their teachers to strengthen the bond of oneness. The strictures and dictates passed on schools on this shikshak divas overshadowed and dumped that motive. In fact converting shikshak divas into guru parva and forcing students country wide to watch your speech/ interaction live appeared more like an exercise in self projection than in touching tender souls.

            Soul is touched by the totality of personality, by the tender and personal touch. Your persona as a power figure, as an authority superior to all others has little for children to emulate, to sublime their ego, arrogance or desire to cheat to gain superiority. You may call your self the first servant but you do not reflect the humiliation and hardship a servant lives. He/ she never gets the round the clock media coverage as you have been getting for the last one year, ever since your Lallan College speech on August 15, 2013.

            The children and parents are already exhausted of watching you on TV channels. Forcing them to watch you for additional two hours in specially arranged display systems in schools which do not have adequate number of teachers and classrooms and where half the teachers are heavily underpaid, is not commensurate with the spirit of academics and education. Rather than shadowing the personality of teachers by a virtuous personality, it would be much healthier to let teachers blossom and students grow in an atmosphere of freedom where there are no pressures and no discrimination of gender, caste, religion, language or status.

            Internet connectivity to schools is a positive thing but it should not be only for a day in a year. It must also be remembered that internet or TV learning is no substitute for class room teaching. Teacher is the backbone of teaching and he must be sustained with dignity and given freedom to operate. Students are the souls of schools and they must be respected.

            On behalf of Sadbhav Mission and our countrymen, I urge you and MHRD to stop this exercise of projecting executive authority as super guide.  

 

Best regards

 

 

V.K. Tripathi

[email protected]