Jumping queues in search of Jagatgurus

By R Swaminathan

Chaturmasya Vrata is observed by all heads of all religious mutts when they choose to stay in the same place for four months. These four months are important for charity, austerity, meditation and offering oblations in fire because their pursuit brings forth countless merits, it has been believed for centuries. Compared to the noble deeds done at other times, multifold benefits will accrue now, we are told. Therefore, this season is religiously chosen by many pious people to visit their guru and obtain his blessings.
This is a great opportunity to enhance one's spirituality and take a step forward in the direction of liberation, every individual is given to understand. The people go with all the family members in search of the camp of their guru, who in most cases they think is a Jagatguru. The morning is spent by the spiritual heads to deliberate and discourse on the scriptures with Vedic scholars. Then they do special poojas, and more importantly before that, they set apart a few hours to bless their devotees who come from far and near.
Any form of penance imposes restrictions on food that can be consumed. This is necessary to reduce our dependence on the external material world and enhance our inner spiritual power. There cannot be anything better than the control of one's senses in spiritual development. Some gurus impose upon themselves strict restrictions on the food they take. They are supposed to totally avoid all fruits (including mango whose season will be ending shortly), all vegetables, all leafy vegetables, curry-leaves, lemons, spices, cashew and dry grapes. This list is not comprehensive and is meant only to suggest things not to be taken during this period. Use of tamarind is also a taboo. What is practised by the great leaders is also supposed to be followed by the believers so that they can purify their body in order to fine tune it to pursue the Ultimate Truth or Reality.
But in modern times, we see a lot of aggressive activity around these camps. People queuing up in large numbers and jostling for space and jumping lines or using special entrances to get audience from their jagatguru ASAP. With plates or trays of fruits and dry fruits, etc. they have no patience to wait. VIP passes or oral influence is used to get quicker access to the guru _ all to list one's grievances or say one's prayers. Some gain proximity to their guru by arranging for special worship, all of which at times appear highly commercialised.
The devout believe that if their worries are put in the ears of the jagatguru and he smiles and gestures his hand, it is enough to eliminate their problems. There have been great sages and saints who preferred not to hear mundane complaints like getting a marriage alliance, medical relief or progeny, etc. for which the earthly solution is more practical and rewarding. But who tries to reason whether transfer or promotion orders can be got that way? The people in their desperation push one another and go to the front to shout their problems. Once they do it they are very much relieved. Those seeking spiritual advancement can pursue a saintly life at home and think of the great teachings and scriptures instead of seeking publicity by visiting their gurus. Instead they seem to be more keen on marking their presence at the camp and making others see that they could do it and without much difficulty and more successfully. There is profanity rather than piety on such occasions at such places which is regretable.

An edited version of this appears in the New Indian Express today.

Education is no place for crooks

Education is no place for crooks

R Swaminathan

It is not proper to blame just the parents for the present craze for admission to engineering, medical and other professional courses. Of course, the dream of their wards getting at the entry level the salary/emoluments the parents manage to draw, or drew, at their exit stage is behind the hunt to land their students in courses that lead to plum jobs here, or preferably abroad. But the colleges, deemed universities and various coaching institutes are also responsible in a large measure for this mad race to get into courses with or without the necessary aptitude.

Of course, the argument that merit should be the deciding factor is a very impressive one. Also, that there should not be any attempt by the parents to block seats in top colleges before the results are out is also fair and good. But don't we see the universities and colleges spending a fortune on advertising and excessive campaigns to sell their seats as it were?

Hoardings and bills as well as glossy brochures and mega advertisements have been put out in an unprecedented fashion year after year. The colleges tom tom the courses they offer, the facilities they have at the international level, the unbeatable faculty they have with them. All this to lure the parent community with their wards to make it to them or break their future prospects.

The colleges struggle to become deemed universities to acquire greater autonomy and promote themselves by leaps and bounds. They acquire acres of properties, including virgin/farm lands, to erect their insititutions, infrastructure and hostels to accommodate students from far and wide. They go to any length to get recognition and to keep the oversight authorities in good humour time and again. They convert their bright students into young faculty members because it is often difficult to win and retain budding teachers who later turn into able professors. But again once they grow in stature nothing can prevent them from deserting or moonlighting.

Capitation fee has become such a commonly accepted term these days. In fact, it starts in subtle form right when a kid is put in pre-KG or LKG in the form of donation or higher fees in fancied schools. It continues upto the senior secondary in search of the right route to top position in public examinations. The coaching institutions enter the scene to augment what is available in the regular schools and promise top ranks and definite success. So, everyone has turned it into a flourishing business and the commercialisation has assumed shameful proportions now.

Political parties and politicians find (or found) the industry to be a gold mine or Kamadhenu with which they can get name and fame and tonnes of money in the long run. In fact, the entry of politicians has made these corridors of learning dubious entities. They decided with their money and muscle power to take on the old and established ones and their connections ensured only success for them while others had to run from one authority to another for recognition and to fight court cases to retain their affiliation , for example.

The competition between the old and new institutions has become so acute that they find that only advertising their placement success stories alone can keep them in business and at the top. So some of them place huge advertisements giving statistics of students/thumbnails who landed in great companies here and abroad, and the chances of on-site or off-shore jobs. The HRs hunting for freshers sometimes are in the pockets of top colleges so that they can push the going rate for seats is another sordid fact of life these days. The companies at times to stand to lose when the recruits drop out owing to lack of skills or when their ignorance gets exposed in the middle of the induction programme.

Instead of just blaming the parents and students who blindly obey their parents, or are made to do that, we should also look at the unscrupulous ones in the education business and exhort them to leave the field to genuine teachers and educators, and not see it as a sure way to mint money. India in the early centuries did have a selfless education system even the Britishers envied and we still have great geniuses everywhere in the world holding the name of the country on a high pedestal. Our humble request and prayer will be : Let crooks vacate the place and let genuine scholars be groomed by dedicated professionals.

Commodification of education is most detestable. The learning for earning has been replaced with earning through learning. The mass production of professional degree holders has led to abundance of heads but not skilled personnel who can be readily deployed . Not only have the employers who grab them in placement interviews have found them unsuitable for their immediate needs but also feel overburdened during the induction programme. Thus some leave the job before they really get placed and the vacancies are not really filled.

An edited version appears in the New Indian Express today.