The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Sunday, 7 September 2014

A GOOD BEGINNING ON THIS TEACHERS’ DAY: HOPE, THE SPIRIT SUSTAINS

If it has to be placed in the category of a political act - what Narendra Modi did on September 5, the Teachers’ Day (or the Teacher’s Day), was indeed a good and engaging politics, unlike the politics of the day, unlike what ‘Indian politics’ of the day has become synonymous with.

On googling (searching) for the definitions of politics, the first two definitions that the Google Guru (as Modi termed the online search giant – like any online search has become synonymous with ‘googling’) comes with are:

-- The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power.

-- Activities aimed at improving someone's status or increasing power within an organization.

Obviously, these are not exhaustive. But what these definitions imply is the theoretical baseline in the contemporary times.

Activities associated withActivities aimed at – the context is defined by words like governance, power, status, parties, organizations – and the activities can be good or bad – like ‘good politics’ or ‘bad politics’ – and we, the Indians, desperately need the ‘good politics’ – and if it was political, it was indeed ‘good and needed politics’ by Narendra Modi.

It is like the difference between ‘information’ and ‘knowledge’ as Narendra Modi points out – what Google gives us is mere information – using it in a context and using it with an informed background are what make any piece of information an event of knowledge.

Modi’s address to the students and to the nation had no political tones the way he spoke, the way he carried it further. His body language and his interaction with students told us it was more of a personal choice. He spoke and interacted like an engaged elder. It was inspiring and connecting.


Yes, there are political elements and political interpretations that can be associated with initiative. But that is for good. There is nothing wrong if Modi addresses students who are voters of tomorrow. There is nothing wrong if Narendra Modi addresses the teachers who are millions strong votebank. There is nothing wrong if Narendra Modi didn’t speak of the problems of teachers.

If they are voters of tomorrow, what’s wrong in establishing connect with them. Similar logic can be extended to the teachers. Doing it sincerely and seriously is the need of the day. The sustained outreach is the need of the day.

It was an event for students, addressing to them, talking to them, guiding them and sharing with them. How can one expect Mr. Modi to discuss the complex issues of the problems of the teachers and of the education system there? Wouldn’t it defy the whole purpose? Doing so indeed would be bad politics, the ‘politics of the day’.

There is nothing wrong in all this if we see the context. The context needed an honest display of personal reflections and Modi excelled at that, naturally and easily. It was an engaging event full of good moments where we smiled, where we laughed.  

If it was politics - Modi's Teachers' Day address to the students was good and acceptable politics, unlike the politics of the day.

Hope it establishes a norm and a good tradition begins and the spirit that has been this year, sustains year after year. 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/