My Hindu upbringing has inculcated a sense of value and respect for all my teachers.

In a speech by Swami Vivekananda that I recently came across, the illustrious philosopher and teacher said, “The father and mother give me this body; but the Guru gives me rebirth in the soul.” This thought succinctly delineates the significance that a teacher holds in shaping one’s future, accentuating the fact that the guru (teacher) is the one who transforms the minds of His or Her disciples by educating them. I view education as the offspring of the entwinement between the hearts and souls of a guru and a shishya (student).

As a fervent devotee of God, I think that having faith in the Almighty is one of the primary catalysts of a wise man, and in my culture, it is believed that one who imparts education is esteemed as God Himself. Therefore, in India, we encourage kindling a sense of reverence towards teachers, for they are the ones that bequeath knowledge upon others out of sheer compassion and trust. In Hinduism, the concept of Gurudakshina, or an offering to a teacher, is highly important. Gurudakshina is a honorarium to a teacher that has configured the traditional Hindu education system. It is a way for students to show gratitude to the knowledge the guru imparts to them.

In my opinion, every teacher is like the sun, perennially bestowing their light upon students, continually dancing with the moon — a symbol of insight and guidance — in the vast skies of education. Consequently, education is an orb around which a shishya and guru revolve, with knowledge being the core objective.

My school greatly emphasizes respecting and showing gratitude to our teachers, who support our cognitive as well as emotional development. There have been many instances where my teacher has helped me devise ways to tackle an ordeal. Once, I took the initiative to contribute towards our class’s teacher’s day celebration, and felt that my peers weren’t paying attention to an idea I was trying to share. Perturbed, I approached my homeroom teacher to inform him of the incident. He explained to me that, in life, when others don’t heed my words, I must address the situation with patience and learn to communicate with more conviction. Now, I always go to him whenever I have any issues. This is how teachers become our educators for life and at the same time friends, too. They are like the doorway between problems and solutions.

Along with being a mentor and friend, a guru is one of our key well-wishers, for he or she is the one that unlocks a plethora of opportunities for us pupils according to our interests. My teachers go the extra mile to ensure we engage in numerous extracurricular activities to help broaden our horizons in various fields. For example, my school teachers recognised my keen interest in creative writing and communication, and they not only introduced me to KidSpirit but provided me and my peers with various opportunities to showcase our skills and improve along the process.

Teachers are our guiding light, advocates, confidants, and the link between us and God. All in all, teachers are our role models. We, students, are like their echoes, their shadows, and their reflections, exactly how we are to our parents. We are, in some way or the other, a facsimile of them, for their actions, values and attitudes reflect in our behaviors, too. As per the cognitive dissonance theory, when people hold opposing beliefs, they feel a certain discomfort. Hence, to prevent this discomfort, students tend to observe the actions of teachers and accordingly practice them, too.

True education lies within the connection between a teacher and a student. Thus, while a guru is responsible for teaching, a shishya must have a sense of humility and an inquisitive attitude. In Hinduism, there is a story about an underprivileged boy named Eklavya, who doesn’t have the means to learn the art of archery from a royal guru named Dronacharya. However, he creates a statue of the teacher and practices everyday in front of it. One of the disciples of Drona finds out about this, and frames the guru for being disloyal to his students. Hence, as Gurudakshina, Dronacharya asks the boy to give up his thumb. As a fervent devotee of the esteemed teacher, Eklavya does so, thereby exemplifying the essential quality devotion that every student must have. This fable serves as the epitome of discipleship and the sacrifices that even students must make in order to receive education, and that is how I view school. School must be a place where each student respects their teachers and sacrifices for them. These sacrifices include valuing lessons by giving up free time to practice, and stepping out of their comfort zone to actively participate in class. This story has inspired me to repay my teachers’ efforts with these small yet significant sacrifices.

As Swami Vivekanda rightly stated in the same speech, “There are hundreds of thousands of teachers, but it is hard to find one disciple.”

True education is not free, it must be earned. And the only way it can be earned by us is if we constantly appreciate and show gratitude to our teachers, carrying within ourselves the learning mindset. As Malcolm X rightly said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." This quote delineates the fact that education must be actively pursued and earned, and that the true purpose of education is to kindle inquisitiveness in students.