— S. Radhakrishnan
HE was the second son of a poor
Brahmin couple. Born in the temple town of Tirutani, his initial education was
at the local primary board high school. Later on he joined the Hermansburg
Evangelical Lutheran Mission School at Tirupati. Though a scholarship holder,
he was wayward. His refractoriness once almost cost him an academic year when
he was absent from the school on the day the forms for the lower secondary
exams were to be filled. It was his headmaster who saved his career by filling
the forms himself. Sounds like any other regular schoolboy? Well, you can say
that. And yet you are way off the mark.
This was no ordinary lad. His
dedication to the quest for knowledge propelled him to the topmost rung of
modern philosophers. He also became the President of India and a much-respected
figure in the international community of intellectuals. In fact, in the modern
times he is that rare person who came close to Plato’s ideal of
Philosopher-king. Radhakrishnan was cited as an example of what an ideal
teacher ought to be, the Indian nation pays him annual homage by observing his
birthday, the September, 5 as the Teachers’ Day.
Poverty remained a constant companion
of Radhakrishnan even when he was married and earning scholarships. Things had
come to such a pass that he had to borrow heavily and even face a lawsuit!
However, his grit and innate faith in his own abilities helped him face the
life’s vicissitudes with equanimity. His intellectual integrity saw him rise in
the esteem of his peers, superiors and critics alike. When he passed his first
arts examination in 1904 with distinctions in mathematics, psychology and
history, he won a scholarship to study in the Christian College at Madras.
His poverty forced him to take up
philosophy instead of his favourite physical sciences as subjects for theBA
course. Despite being a reluctant pupil of the subject, Radhakrishnan managed
to win the best student award in philosophy when he passed the BA course with
first class honours.
In the age when only western
philosophy was considered supreme, Radhakrishnan had the courage of his
conviction to propound and expound the ancient Indian philosophy — as embodied
in the Bhagvadagita and the Vedanta. This earned him scorn from the
conservatives but appreciation from the progressives among his teachers and the
British Press. One of his teachers, A.G. Hogg — whose disparaging remarks on
"the ascetic and otherworldly tendencies" in the Bhagvadagita had
provoked Radhakrishnan to write a thesis on the book — was happy to be his
guide in writing the thesis!
Radhakrishnan’s writings had
introduced new impulses into the national psyche — especially among the
educated classes. Dignity and self-respect as well as independent thought were
the virtues that he practised and preached. However, it was as an educationist
that he had the maximum impact on the national thought processes. He felt that
education, while covering a broad spectrum, should have depth. One may become
learned and skilled, but if one does not have a definite aim in life, his life
becomes blind, blundering and bitter. Therefore it is vital that education
should give not merely learning and skill but endow one with a definite purpose
in life.
The philosopher had clear idea of what
a teacher’s role ought to be. To quote him, "No true commitment of
knowledge can be achieved if the teachers do not play a progressive role. What
the teachers do, students follow. So they set the example. The teachers are in
charge of the pupils at an impressionable period of their lives. Young pupils,
in primary schools and secondary schools, come to them to be moulded. Love of
pupils is the first essential quality of successful teacher. More than
intellectual efficiency, it is that attitude, that emotional attitude of true
love for pupils."
He stressed the point that the
teacher’s work is not limited to the classroom or the syllabus. A student’s
personal problems must also receive the teacher’s fullest consideration.
Radhakrishnan emphasised the role of character in a nation’s progress.
According to him destiny is character. Only a teacher can help build a
student’s character by installing healthy values in him, and lead him to a
fruitful tryst with destiny. Elsewhere he avers, "If education is to help
us to meet the moral challenge of the age and play its part in the life of the
community, it should be liberating and life-giving. It must give a basic
meaning to personality and existence and equip us with the power to overcome
spiritual inertia and foster spiritual sensitivity."
In fact, Radhakrishnan considered
education as "a second birth". The teacher gives the spark that
enables students to develop a new outlook on life and become an entirely
different, albeit improved, person from what he was earlier.
Whether it was the Presidency College
at Madras, the college at Rajahmundry where he had a stint as teacher, the
Maharaja’s College in Mysore, or the Calcutta University, Radhakrishnan was
extremely popular among his students. They listened to his lectures with rapt
attention. When he left Mysore for Calcutta, the students converted the
occasion of his departure into a farewell function.
To quote from his son S. Gopal’s
biography of the great man, "That scene has become a part of the history
of Mysore city. The horses were detached from his carriage and students in
harness pulled it to the station. There the platform was wreathed with flowers
and the compartment packed with roses. Almost the whole university, faculty and
students, turned up to see Radhakrishnan off. The traffic on all roads leading
to the station was held up for hours and the crowd was such that other
passengers found it extremely difficult to get through. As the train pulled out
hours late, to resounding cheers, Radhakrishnan, like many others present, was
moved to tears." Can there be a better example of teacher-student
relationship? How many of today’s teachers can boast of similar command over
their pupils’ esteem?
THE TRIBUNE
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