Dr Aniruddha Babar
Dept. of Political Science, Tetso College
The College where I ‘teach’ and ‘learn’ has a very thought provoking motto-“STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE”. This Motto of Tetso College and my life story has matched perfectly only to be ended up in forming an unbreakable romantic bond. Striving for an Excellence is not an easy task as it requires an absolutely uncompromising attitude, unshakable personal standing, firm desire to sacrifice and absolute faith in individual convictions. In the context of the Naga students and all those students who have been the victims of the history, who have been shouldering the burden of the past, who belong to persecuted-discriminated-hated communities; the meaning of EXCELLENCE goes far beyond individual aspirations, dreams, achievements and goals.
The Children of the darkness are the torch bearers for their people. They are the ones who are destined to shoulder sacred responsibility to guide their people from the darkness to the glorious light. Be it Untouchable Dalit or the suppressed Tribal communities, their children are the second generation people who are going to school, to college and to the universities. The people from marginalized communities have understood that the education is the key to liberation from the quicksand of injustice, poverty, humiliation and sorrows.
“OUR” children are truly not that privilege to have careless, carefree, vagabond, materialistic attitude towards their life. They should know that they are the products of struggle and sorrows of their ancestors. Whatever little has been achieved-socially, economically or politically has been achieved at the cost of blood, sweat and sorrows of their forefathers. Therefore, to take the society ahead, our children should prepare themselves with the weapon of education and knowledge. They should understand that the end purpose of education is not to get some job and earn salary, but to help their people who are still crippled; to rise and stand on their own feet. God does not come to Earth personally to help the people. He sends his angels to perform the task. Our children should understand that they are the chosen angels by the God to perform the sacred task to give direction to the people wandering in the eternal darkness.
It has been seen for e.g. Our Naga society that it has progressed a little bit with education. Some persons have reached higher positions after getting education however, the socio-economic disparity increased as well. In Naga society a healthy middle class does not exists. This is truly a matter of concern, which proves that the society has still a long way to go. The lack of intellectual class in relatively infant society like that of the Nagas in the scale of the context of modern socio-political-economic evolution is also a major question that needs to be explored. In this larger context, the role of young generation which is still in schools and colleges needs to be understood.
Youth has a potential to be the carrier of change. They are the ones who are capable to challenge the present by courageously visualizing the ‘unseen’ future. However, do our schools, our colleges teach our children this cardinal truth of life? Do our education system, here in Nagaland capable enough to set the soul of a student on fire? Do we teach them to value their existence? Do we teach them how to think independently? Do we teach our students how to free themselves from every dogma in the society? Do we teach them that they are the valuable assets of society? Do we teach them that they are necessary ‘Wheels’ of the Chariot of their community? Do we teach them how their history, their present and their future are connected with each other? Do we teach them as to how Education should not be seen merely as an opportunity to survive but to change the world by making a positive impact on the lives of people-who are poor, blind, helpless and crippled?
People who are the victims of the past do not have any other option but to resort to relentless struggle for ‘change’. Naga students and all other students belonging to persecuted communities must necessarily understand that their future lies in the future of their people. A world which is stigmatized by the corruption, poverty, discrimination, HIV-AIDS and Alcoholism, where people are mute spectators, where life is lived like a ‘zombie’, where culture has reduced to become a ‘habit’-a young Man and a woman with a vision and character can cause a ‘CHANGE’. A learned man has a responsibility to wake up those who are in deep slumber. A society of sleeping people becomes an easy target for the disrupters having keen interest in keeping the people in intoxicated state of mind.
Our Naga society which is still at its infant stage has trapped in the whirlwind of materialism that blinded people who could not rise themselves from the problems that they are trapped in. Considering the materialistic nature of institutionalized religions it may not be wrong to say that even the ‘God’ has not been able to escape from the clutches of the Consumerism, Market and Money. There are people who are of the opinion that the investment, money, free market and liberal-global economy is the key to liberate the man from the pain of historic injustice and traumatic present. However, I beg to differ and say on record that the ‘History has Witnessed that, Money Has Never Solved The Problems Of The People’. Money cannot be synonymous to Justice, Equality, Liberty, Fraternity and Dignity. We need to create a generation of people who will understand the ground social realities and would not go astray by the astronomical claims made by corporate gurus who are so fond of giving lectures on ‘development’ in remote areas without understanding socio-cultural-political realities of the region.
Our students from persecuted communities who still face discrimination in the name of caste, race, gender and religion in different parts of the country should very well understand the nature and depth of the struggle that they have to undertake. The girls from the northeast region going outside to study or workhas been seen and portrayed as ‘exotic sex object’ in other parts of the country, underlines a struggle that they have to undertake. The question before Dalit, Tribal and other students from socially backward and persecuted communities is not just a question of survival but a survival with a potential to grow, progress with equal opportunities, equitable access to resources, dignity and honour.
It is said that Child is a Father of Man. The education institutions, teachers as well as the students must understand their individual as well collective responsibilities towards themselves and society. The upliftment of people would not be done by the others but the people themselves. Therefore, the roles that education institutions and students play are very critical in the context of the larger vision of all-encompassing development of the society.
Therefore, I appeal to all the students to work hard with a dream of ‘CHANGE’ for self-development so that you would be well equipped to serve the humanity. Also, I would like to appeal the teaching community to give wings of wisdom to the students and help them to free themselves from every type of dogma that could become barrier in theiremotional and intellectual growth as well as overall development as a ‘FREE MAN’. Let us remember that the Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.We as Academicians and Thinkers has a sacred duty to create a ‘Man of tomorrow’ who not only will lead the society, but defend its right to dissent, struggle, survive, flourish, grow, progress and prosper.
