A particular story of Rabindra nath Tagore struck me as a mirror of what we value most in education today.
There was a king of mighty means who bemoaned the fact that his parrot couldn't speak.He called the Rajpandit and asked him what could be done.The pandit immediately said that a great 'yagna' must be performed.thousands of pandits were called,hundreds of thousands of measures of ghee and wood and whatever else were brought and the 'yagna' was performed.All those provid...ing the accoutrements for the 'yagna' became instantly rich,buying big properties and living happily ever after.
Once 'yagna' was done,a golden cage had to be built for the bird.So,jewellers and metal smiths came into the act and went home rich.
The parrot was caged.Now,the pandit declared that all the great literature of the world was to be transcribed on bits of paper and fed to the parrot to give it wisdom.Scribes from across the world were set to the task.Once the work was done,they were paid enough to feed their next few generations.
Meanwhile,the parrot didn't like the cage and fluttered around it.So ironmongers were called to make foot cuffs for which they received a handsome reward.But the parrot was still restless,so barbers were called to clip its wings and they too went home rich.By now the area around the palace had become like a fair ground with food-sellers,entertainers and their ilk making a fortune as people thronged to see the 'tamasha'
One day,it occurred to the king that he should inquire about the progress made by the parrot.On visiting the fair ground,he was satisfied to see that the parrot had become a crowd puller.He retired satisfied,in spite of a lone minister;s suggestion that he actually see the state of the parrot.
By now the pandits and the scribes had started feeding the poor parrot scraps of wisdom.It couldn't fly,couldn't speak.The air was so thick with people that it could not breathe.But they continued to stuffpaper into it,till the bird finally died.Undaunted,the pandits took the stuffed parrot in a grand procession to the king.Happy to see such a large gathering,the king poked the parrot to hear it speak.But nothing happened.''why pandit,the parrot still doesn't speak said the angry king.''Ah my lord '' said the pandit,''she is now so well educated that she doesn't need to speak.''And the king mighty pleased,retired to his chamber convinced that he had made one parrot speak.
The founders of our educational institutions get rich.The teachers,who give tuition classes get rich.the uniform makers,the text book wallahs,the school inspectors,the examination board inspectors all get rich.But no one bothers about the poor student who lies brain dead in the midst of it all.Imagine Tagore as a fortune teller.He wrote this over a hundred years ago.
There was a king of mighty means who bemoaned the fact that his parrot couldn't speak.He called the Rajpandit and asked him what could be done.The pandit immediately said that a great 'yagna' must be performed.thousands of pandits were called,hundreds of thousands of measures of ghee and wood and whatever else were brought and the 'yagna' was performed.All those provid...ing the accoutrements for the 'yagna' became instantly rich,buying big properties and living happily ever after.
Once 'yagna' was done,a golden cage had to be built for the bird.So,jewellers and metal smiths came into the act and went home rich.
The parrot was caged.Now,the pandit declared that all the great literature of the world was to be transcribed on bits of paper and fed to the parrot to give it wisdom.Scribes from across the world were set to the task.Once the work was done,they were paid enough to feed their next few generations.
Meanwhile,the parrot didn't like the cage and fluttered around it.So ironmongers were called to make foot cuffs for which they received a handsome reward.But the parrot was still restless,so barbers were called to clip its wings and they too went home rich.By now the area around the palace had become like a fair ground with food-sellers,entertainers and their ilk making a fortune as people thronged to see the 'tamasha'
One day,it occurred to the king that he should inquire about the progress made by the parrot.On visiting the fair ground,he was satisfied to see that the parrot had become a crowd puller.He retired satisfied,in spite of a lone minister;s suggestion that he actually see the state of the parrot.
By now the pandits and the scribes had started feeding the poor parrot scraps of wisdom.It couldn't fly,couldn't speak.The air was so thick with people that it could not breathe.But they continued to stuffpaper into it,till the bird finally died.Undaunted,the pandits took the stuffed parrot in a grand procession to the king.Happy to see such a large gathering,the king poked the parrot to hear it speak.But nothing happened.''why pandit,the parrot still doesn't speak said the angry king.''Ah my lord '' said the pandit,''she is now so well educated that she doesn't need to speak.''And the king mighty pleased,retired to his chamber convinced that he had made one parrot speak.
The founders of our educational institutions get rich.The teachers,who give tuition classes get rich.the uniform makers,the text book wallahs,the school inspectors,the examination board inspectors all get rich.But no one bothers about the poor student who lies brain dead in the midst of it all.Imagine Tagore as a fortune teller.He wrote this over a hundred years ago.
Krishnamachari Santhanam.
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