IGNITE THAT FIRE AND HUNGER IN YOUR BELLY
Pic.: Nishtha Narryani
“A man needs to look, not down, but up to standards
set so much above his ordinary self as to make him feel that he is himself spiritually the underdog.”
It is
just the start of the academic year. Though I don’t believe in holding series
of tests and judging my students by the marks they have scored, I relentlessly
instill in them the value of being focused, determined and self-disciplined in
life. “It starts from being clear about your goal... Fix it high, and fix it
now,” I drill into their heads, “Once you have done it, and decided to have it
badly, no one needs to remind you, coax you, least of all, force you to do
your work.”
The message sinks in most of the time, and in most of the
hearts. In some hears, it takes more time... but, it does sink in, for sure.
Why am I so confident that all my students take home my
message?
Because, all of them want to succeed in life!
I had
announced the first test – in just one chapter – for my twelfth-standard
students about a week ago. Some of them came from very privileged families,
could afford to pay much higher fees and learn from me in a ‘small and special’
batch. They did not want to be in a ‘big’ batch... and, yes, they couldn’t
adjust to my evening general-batch timings. Well, so be it. Though I do not
believe in offering any ‘special teaching’ to my high-paying students, I do
accept a few students like these. “You are the privileged lot, my dear-ones,” I
keep reminding them, “Be worthy of it.”
Like always, this time, too, I had a rude shock in store
for me: the so-called privileged ones – many of them I had taught in eleventh-standard
as well, yes, the so-called ‘special batch’ – had done far below what they ought
to. On the other hand, many young-ones from the so-called ‘general batch, who
had not been to any classes in the eleventh-standard, and who came from very
deprived families – yes, I was so pleased to see their performance. What
pleased me the most was that these kids were thinking and learning... they were
doing things more on their own... they were creative, they took risk, they
trusted their opinion... and, above all, their motivation did stem from their
clearly defined goals...
There
are those two popular stories, which I tell my so-called ‘privileged’ young-kids
to explain to them as to why, in life, it is so important to possess the fire
in their belly – that killer instinct... that never-say-die winning-spirit...
Arjuna was a privileged young-student of his great guru,
Dhronacharya. Ekalavya, on the other hand, was not. He was born in a low-caste,
tribal family... He was burning with the desire to learn the art of archery
from the great guru. But, then, the great teacher refused to take him as his
student... Hurt by this, the young kid, Ekalavya, went back to the jungle...
made a statue of the great Dhronacharaya and got down to practice.... Yes, imagining
his master, with all his determination, focus, commitment, and passion...
And, one day, while the teacher and his ‘privileged
students’ were passing by the jungle, they heard a dog barking hysterically.
Then, all of a sudden, it stopped. Perplexed, the guru and his students began
to move towards the direction from where the cry of the dog had come. What they
saw, on reaching there, stopped their hearts: the dog’s mouth was left wide
open... and a dozen arrows had kept it so!
“Who could be such a fine archer?” When the guru met,
finally, the young-kid from the jungle, the first question he asked was: “Who
taught you this?”
“You, my guru,” the under-privileged boy answered
pointing to the statue of great teacher, “I learnt it by worshipping you!”
The rest of the story is very disturbing. However, it needs
to be recounted.
“If so, my dear young-student, you need to give a gurudaksina to your teacher,” the great
teacher said to the wonder-kid.
“Whatever you ask, my master, I shall gladly and
willingly offer to you.”
“Then, offer your thumb!”
“Here it is, my master,” Ekalavya chopped off his thumb for
his revered master!
Was it right or wrong, that is not the point here. The
point is: Arjuna, who was a privileged student of great guru Dhronacharya, could
never reach the level of this underdog - this underprivileged tribal-kid - Ekalavya!
And,
yes, there is that other popular story... and, strangely, it, too, hails from
the folklore of jungle... And, I don’t fail to narrate it to my ‘privileged’
students... yes, ignite that fire and hunger in their belly...
What is this story?
Wait till tomorrow...
GERALD D’CUNHA
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