Guru Devo Modi..

Master Modi

Modi addressed the students on the Teacher’s day. What did it achieve?

I could be wrong…

but to me…It heralded hope

A Hope That My Voice Will Be Heard Next..

It invited a lot of flack, there are journalists out there, on times of India calling this Modi does a chacha Nehru, let’s not go there, Nehru today might elicit a total different response from the Nehru then.

For lakhs of Kids across India it was the prime-minister reaching out to them. He was one of them cracking jokes, sharing his school pranks; it was a glimpse of the man behind the state-head.

He was investing in a participatory generation next. I remember interaction with George Fernandez’s father Michael Fernandez post emergency was a turning point for many of us, it gave us a direction a sense of purpose and we actually felt “kattuvevu naavu hosa naadondanu rasada beedondanu” that is we shall build a new nation one of that houses all prosperity,…Rasa in kannada is flavour – juice and often used as euphemism for goodness.

He shared with children what he was dealing with shortage of teachers, forget about good and bad.

It might be a political agenda for kids are future voters, how about saying these kids are the architects of future India. How about looking at it as a venture to tell them yes your dreams and aspiration matters to us, don’t look westward we will let you create the best.

Can you imagine the impact of a student from Leh, a student from Bhuj, a student from Port Blair standing up in his or her own terrain and talking to the prime-minister the kind of bonding it would create not only with the primeminsiter for he is no more the remote guy who media beats he is the brat who stapled people’s shirt if he can become the prime minster and orchestra the revolution I will stand by him.

Somewhere without actually saying it, Modi has brought out the issue of total growth, for those who will follow what he says; he brought out a difference between information and knowledge.

He shared with the students what he saw in Japan and what he learnt the way he presented it, his voice had wonderment, and admiration. The remote school in Mudradi has a sanitation squad where the kids clean the toilets by turns the kids now know that even the Japanese do it.

Of course this probably would have been more apt on Children’s day while the focus could have been on teachers, yet somewhere he has created awareness in the students that their teachers are overworked and underpaid.

There were people who pointed out that Modi did not say that teachers education is a shame, they are not paid adequately and there contract teachers whose woes have not be addressed.

Actually one of the teachers did mention it on the telecast that Teacher’s day should have been about teachers and not address the children point taken but do you realize we have a prime minister who has given us a voice? While all these years, the teachers sponsored by various political party picked up their awards and went home.

Contract teachers were unacknowledged. Most teachers were at a state where they accepted docilely that they won’t be heard. While yesterday they could voice a grouse that they need to heard.