It is not information or knowledge that makes a human being, what is most important is the necessity to create a process that transforms the inherent nature of a person, his/ her basic instincts. That alone addresses the prime purpose of all trainings. This is probably where the modern academic setup has failed

Somehow this reminds me of the Mahabharata, where Duryodhana represents the same kind of a person. Interestingly everybody considered him to be a jealous and stupid person, always scheming yet failing miserably. But Duryodhana was a fairly intelligent person, yet what we need to understand is that his motives left him no other way but the one he practiced.

When Krishna asked him, why was he such a fool as to lead everyone to a war; the reply that Duryodhana gave stunned even Krishna. He said: “Krishna, I have studied under the same teachers, from whom Yudhishthira has learnt his lessons. I know what is correct (Dharma) and what is incorrect (Adharma), yet I cannot stop being what I am!”

This is probably where the modern academic setup has failed. I wouldn’t have said so, had such cases been occurring once in a blue moon. The rise in the frequency of these events is probably the most horrifying thing. We see the increase in latent violence in the world at large and of course very much around us in India.

Interestingly, while the whole world acknowledges that the western educational system has miserably failed and that is why the western society has undergone so much of trauma, yet we Just Don’t Stop Aping Them.

We all know – history repeats itself and first time its an irony, but next time it’s a farce!

That is what we are heading for!

Education is lot of information and knowledge packaged in such a way to help us get a deep understanding of the field that we specialize in.... or is it something more?

Our traditional definition of education is probably the most valuable and insightful perception, which the Modern Lords of the Ring are out to destroy.

It is said – Saa Vidyaa Yaa Vimuktaye – that alone is education / learning that liberates.

But liberates from what? An atheist doesn’t believe in god. A non-Hindu doesn’t believe in rebirths. Then what is that is universal about such a short and precise definition. Or is it just applicable for a group of people - whacky, unscientific and blinded with faith?

The concept of liberation is addressed towards ridding one of the bondages of the ills and negative instincts (habits) and wrong concepts that we carry deep within. In a way, we can rephrase it as – that alone is education / learning that transforms us from the core and makes us better human beings.

This is one aspect where I am confident in saying that the west has never delivered this. On the contrary, they have succeeded in destroying our Academic Paradigm that we were building organically – over the ages.

That doesn’t mean, we had no errors on our part. Let me be very clear, just as a human being gets diseased only when he is weak from within, similarly external catalytic elements succeed in destroying social framework only when there are internal destroyers.

It is true that we had great institutions like the Nalanda or the Takshashila, which have been World Universities in their own right, yet still once destroyed, we couldn’t create them anymore.

All the while we have looked for patronage from the establishment. Yes we have faltered on this aspect, but it is also true that the content of our traditional knowledge continued to exist despite all antagonism and venom from the plunderers and their supporters here at home.

The traditional teaching technology never debated about issues, rather believed in creating the fundamental perspective of a student, that is based on purity, honesty, love and human dignity. These were not taught as mere moral science lectures, but deep philosophical understanding derived from learning and practising under the able guidance of an equally enlightened master. Believe me, I feel, it was no mean achievement to have people all the way from other countries – China and Persia to come here to learn. Even Greek Masters like Aristotle had guided their students like Alexander to seek the masters in India.

Once this fundamental perception is created along with specialised learning on any which aspect that the student wished to develop, he /she was mature enough to address the questions of profession and life – evolving all through, till the last breath of his / her life.

It is not that there were no criminals. It is also not that there were no opportunists, always on the lurk to get their pound of flesh. Yet, it is also true that while they were doing what they were doing, they knew that it was never right. That is the difference.

Today, I am sorry to say, most people do what they do, while the distinctions between rights and the wrongs have been blurred. Take for example the question of violence – people do not consider it detrimental to the human psyche – and consider television programmes based on such issues as their creative freedom, little realising that the science of human mind has accepted that any image – whether in visual, audio or literary or any form, when the mind is repeatedly exposed to it, triggers a certain kind of reaction and chemical secretions. These in turn create a certain kind of physical and mental necessity that transforms into a certain kind of action.

That is why our masters have talked of abstention as the best means of alleviating any negative trend or tendency that may exist as our basic instinct. This helps in transcending and not suppressing. Our seers were such great visionaries that they also saw a specific role of the society at large in helping the week and the frail hearted to get over their weaknesses and out grow negativity.

Yes. That is what I mean. If we fail to understand this social responsibility and address the issue at hand in a proactive way, by revitalising the traditional concepts of learning, rather than go about with our nose up in air, calling all those traditional concepts of learning as defunct and unscientific, which is none short of narrow mindedness and depicts the absolute illiteracy and insensitivity about our traditions and culture, we are entering into the zone of social Harakiri!

It I time we address the issue in a proactive way. We alone can save ourselves and our civilisation.