INDIAN TEACHER'S DAY IN QATAR - 6 Sep 2022

The world is said to be celebrating its teachers' on Oct. 5th, starting from 1994.  It is in remembrance of the date of adoption of the UNESCO recommendations on the status of teachers in 1966, in collaboration with International Labour Organisation.  By 1994, the net was expanded to include those educators in higher education (including research) as well. 

India began to celebrate Teacher's Day, much before that when the eminent educator turned diplomat turned politician Dr. Radhakrishnan, was met by his former students on his birthday, after his assuming office as the President of India in 1962. He urged them, "instead of observing my birthday discretely, it would be my pompous privilege if 5th September is observed as Teachers’ Day", and since then, India began to observe 5th September as Teachers' Day.  But, Indian subcontinent had the tradition of venerating its teachers on 'gurupurnima', more befittingly remembering the 'attainment' (siddha) of 'meaning' (artha) by the Light of Asia - Sri Buddha (the Enlightened). It falls on the full moon day of Ashad (fourth) month of the Indian calendar.  

It has, apparently, a more ancient guru tradition, from the Hindu mythology, where it is celebrated as the birthday of Maharshi Ved Vyas, who is said to have given the knowledge of the four Vedas to the world for the first time.  Another interesting and meaningful aspect for the day, with an appeal to a larger segment of Indian population!  I feel, there was no need of another day.  Though theoretically, I still hold on to it, when I discovered Dr. S. Radhakrishnan's credentials as an academic (teacher - India and abroad, author, acad administrator, philosopher, Knighthood, Vice Chancellor of various universities, diplomat - ambassador, Vice-President, President, 27 times nomination for nobel prize), I felt that Indian Teacher's day could be justified on Sep. 5th - a modern day academician to challenge our present day teachers!

In our childhood, it was only a day for GK, and I don't recall any celebration in my 14 year long schooling (2+10+2 system) in four schools in 2 states of India. However, now things are very different.  Teachers are much more honoured and celebrated (at least on Sep. 5th). 

We are now in Doha, Qatar, a nation as big as a district of more populous states of India, with a population of just about .22% of India.  However, I found teachers' day (Indian) being celebrated very enthusiastically here. At the school, the students' council was given an opportunity to organise the day by themselves.  They prepared a cultural feast, and in order to spare the teachers for the 2 period long celebration, one senior group acted as student teachers, manning (womanning) every class. There was Dr. S. Radhakrishnan on the stage, music and dance, and celebration of teaching.  The school management also expressed its concern for the teachers by ensuring a useful gift item to all the teachers. 

But the Indian embassy also did not deem it fit to leave it merely to the schools - the 20 odd Indian schools (CBSE) were brought together by the embassy through its popular cultural wing - Indian Cultural Centre (ICC); and while India combatted Srilankans, again registering a loss, in the neighbouring UAE, here in Doha, leaving the cricket team to its fate, we Indian schools came together at Ashoka Hall of ICC, representing the 4000 strong Indian Teacher Community of Qatar; drew inspiration from the Ambassador Dr. Deepak Mittal to take the Amrtkaal Panch Pran on themselves, and spread it to the new generation who will make and witness the making of India as a developed nation! (I hope to live to see that).  However, Dr. Mittal's reference to 'colonial' rule having curbed our aspirations for freedom and free-thinking, brought smile to my lips.  We are still eulogizing the exploitative and exclusive and excluding system of yore, where gurus like Drona had such skewed perception of knowledge as to deprive the learner of his core faculty, on the pretext of traditions! And we twist it to fit the frame of respect for teachers! I feel that thanks to colonisation, we had the good fortune of becoming a united India, and also an India that cold aspire beyond the enslaving and exploitative caste system, though we are still not free from that. This colonial exploitation theme (though real) has become an easy and flimsy  and cliched excuse for our faults, flaws and foibles in the path of progress - and while we blame colonialists and colonialism for our regress, our ideal of progress still remains very much that of the colonialists (of the West).   

Our Vice Principal (Sir) Radhakrishnan (though not Sarvepally, incidentally, celebrating his birthday this very month), joined the ambassador in the lighting of the lamp along with other Principals. 

Principal of Birla school, Sri Harish Sanduja, made an insightful address urging people to focus on basic literacy, including the speed of reading.  I felt proud to have an institutional leader who spoke thus.  For the first time, all school nominees for various sections, were awarded 'best teacher' (of the school) certificates by the embassy.  We had recommended our coordinators for the award, as they had come through a thorough screening process.  The ICC President, Mr. Baburajan announced the launch of a teachers' forum under ICC - a good sign!

In spite of their hectic schedule and unique nature of the school timing, our teachers found time to be part of the celebration, with a powerful group music, and two pieces of choreography, one led by the dance teachers themselves (Ms Sunita and Ms Deepa) and the other, the ever dancing-singing pedagogy team of our Little Kingdom, led by the head Ms. Kajal herself.  It was fabulous. The teams deserve special applause. 

The programmes that began at 6.30 pm, except for the 25 mt long address of the ambassador, did justice to the Indian teachers of Qatar, and lasted till 11 pm. Almost all the Indian schools turned up, and teachers, rediscovered their youth - though the muscles and sinews didn't match the willingness of the mind always.  But the good will and enthusiasm were tangible.  There were also slide shows, mimes, solo performances by the teachers. I was doubly gratified finding also one of the heartians, Sheeja, a bright student of Economics, now a teacher with Shantiniketan, leading their team on the stage!

Such gatherings point to what a school ought to be - literacy, numeracy and beyond - being together, enjoying music, learning to keep a step with music... thus schools here appear to be rich treasure houses of talents, in spite of being away from the native soil, still very much Indian, and much more together as Indians, than anywhere in India perhaps!