Inspiring a value system

Last week was a very important milestone in my life - the graduation day. Adorned with bright colored convocation robes, I was happy to finally get the fruit of years of toil, first to get into the prestigious IIT system and then to get through its rigorous curriculum, courses, projects and thesis work successfully. It was a day of joy indeed, all the more for it gave me a chance to be with my friends once again, a weekend spent well indeed. The following day, I was fortunate enough to meet Prof. GS Visweswaran of Electrical Engineering Department, a teacher I duly respect, more as a person, a friend, a guide. It was at that time I got a chance to retrospect, introspect and delve into the depths of past five years I spent in IIT campus, becoming a different person, more mature certainly, more knowledgeable, more qualified, yet not complete.

The incident was a call GSV sir received from one of his students who, he later explained to me, had been working on a project under him but had suddenly and irresponsibly vanished without completing his work or reporting to anyone anything about it, and had now called back to justify his disappearance and get some liberal extension for the project. I could immediately relate to the situation that was truly characterizing most of the students today sometime or the other, including (I must admit) myself.

In my friend circle, we have often discussed about the way something is wrong with the system and trends prevalent today in our system of education. IITs are acclaimed as world class premier institutions established to fire and forge the scientific and technical disposition amongst its students to make them lead others towards a common goal of national development. Certainly these institutions have over achieved on their goals. But here I am delving into a different aspect of human personality i.e. ethics. A knowledge economy can only be created with education that is value based. Knowledge reinforced with values is must for its sustainability and usefulness for the holder and those around him. But perhaps this component is conspicuously missing today in our education system.

Today it is rare to find a person who is always honest, truthful, and righteous in his thoughts and actions. Crime and Injustice are rampant. Cheating and Frauds have become a norm. There is an acute trust deficit in every institution, organization, public or private office, group, and even at home. I feel mocked at when I read about government making it a rallying point that their leader or our PM is a spotless and most honest leader of high integrity. I mean is it sufficient to have only one such leader in the government and rest can get away with impunity? But we all realize that there is a problem isn’t it? I don’t find a person who admires corruption; of government, of society, of conscience. We all detest it, all of us, yet it exists. Isn’t it ironical? It is a solution that we need now.

Ethics and values, I believe cannot be taught but learnt. India today is at an enviable stage in demographic history. We have a huge force of 540 million young people, with average age less than 29 years, it is all the more important to channel their energy positively and rightly. Developing best education system, ensuring good health, creating more jobs is necessary, but most important is to create a learning environment, where each person becomes a consistent and autonomous learner and become both capable and willing to contribute in national growth. Every lesson taught in the schools must be future oriented and value-laden. There must be a high amount of consciousness in every person, about his/her importance for the society, about his/her duties and responsibilities. We are backed by a strong history of traditions and culture, which must be transformed into a driving force towards a better and modern tomorrow.

Parents have an imperative role to play in this regard. Parents must not raise their children towards worldly and smaller ambitions like a good report card, high rank in examinations, or a high paying job. But they must inspire their children to be a good person, a good son, daughter, brother, sister, father, mother, a good human and a good citizen. They must themselves emulate a role model before their children, and teach them the value of honesty, integrity, truthfulness in life. It is important to do whatever one does with passion and interest, not for namesake. This will help create a stress free learning environment, with least of hypocrisy.

Teachers too hold a great responsibility. A child spends a great part of his time in his/her formative years in school. We observe, learn and enact everything from our friends, peers, teachers at school. There is a need of visionary teachers with strong instinct to instill best values in their students. I feel even a single such figure in each school would suffice. This puts a responsibility on me too, and I would urge my friends to take up the same responsibility, of teaching. That may not be taken as a full time career, but perhaps once in a while, we all must try to collaborate with schools in our vicinity, in our neighborhood, in villages, and go there to teach, to inspire the future of our country. I am sure such non curricular lectures can have a deep impact on minds of students, by getting to know more from people other than their usual teachers, or parents or elders. I know it’s not easy for most of us to spend even an hour out of our schedules, given the busy and a stressed lifestyle. So it stands true for me too currently. But I do hereby pledge to make it true sometime soon in future.

Learning is a constant process. Knowledge needs to be renewed constantly. I feel it usually happens in India, that as soon as we leave our schools to step into more professional courses, some subjects lose their relevance completely. For those taking up science after class X, subjects like History, Geography, Polity and Languages become a childish thing to learn. But I believe that there lies a great importance in social sciences in forming learned and enlightened citizen. It’s important to know our history, our society, our culture to understand the dynamics of country better, to contribute meaningfully towards it. A wide, though rudimentary it may be, knowledge in Indian economy, law and administration is must to participate in the country’s national and social events. In this regard I want to sound my concern for lack of more contextual courses in Humanities in our institutions of higher studies in engineering and medical professions. Once we learn of the problems prevalent in our villages - the sheer poverty by which more than 40% of our population is still inflicted with, lack of basic civic amenities, drinking water, sanitation, primary healthcare, education to a major part of our country - it is bound to make us more aware of what we owe to others, to spur us to action.

It is high time to realize that there is a high deal of urgency to bring about a sustainable and effective change. There is not a single moment when someone is not complaining, complaining of people, society, customs, government, teachers, friends, boss, colleagues, maids, parents, children, relatives, rich, poor, each and everyone. But that includes us too. Let us be the change we want to be. And for that, I put my faith foremost in a value laden life, in morality, in being just and righteous, to ourselves, to others around us, in each and every respect. We may not see the blemishes on our soul at first instant. That may require a serious contemplation, a non-assuming self-introspection, and then we shall find that there is a lot to change within before without. Let us give others a place to live that we dream of. Let us help others grow, win and succeed. That shall in turn, irrespective of any reciprocity from others, help us be a winner forever.