Guru Shishya : Changing of this relationship in today's times

 

Ignorance (“Gu”) is the first obstacle that a seeker of knowledge must overcome with the help of a knowledgeable remover(“ru”). And the one who possesses the quality(“shya”) or is ready to submit(“shi”) to the guidance of the remover, succeeds in embarking on a journey towards enlightenment and wisdom.

A teacher imparts knowledge, but a Guru offers broader guidance aimed at personal transformation and enlightenment. The Guru-shishya relation is defined by deep personal connection and lays more emphasis on a holistic development going beyond academical into intellectual, emotional and spiritual. The imparting of knowledge is based on the abilities and needs of the shishya. A Guru helps the shishya to build a strong foundation in the subject matter, as well as the foundation needed in shaping his or her life to be able to face the everyday challenges, maneuver through the journey of knowledge building as well as imparting to others, leading to a satisfied life.

But in this relation, the expectations of and from the shishya is equally important. In ancient times, the shishyas lived with the gurus as part of the Parampara, following their lifestyle, learning everyday chores other than the subject matter, but also important fact was they learned by observing their gurus and imbibing the values and the nuances of leading life. The relation was built very strongly on the basis of “Acharya Devo Bhava”. Discipline and respect both were based on the unquestionable foundation of obedience, trust and humility.

As ages have passed, though the foundation remains the same, some dilution has creeped in. Though the gurukul system became a rarity in 80s-90s, and the teaching hours were limited to the time spent in classes, obedience and dedication among students did remain strong. Tradition and culture were still a strong value point in most households.

But society has undergone a huge change in the 2000s, influenced by the globalization resulted by the technological advances. This change has also had a huge impact on the relations, attitude towards learning, work and life. If the previous generation was still moving up the ladder, and was focused on stability, commitment towards a single job/teacher/income means, a lot of the new generation has these easily available. Which means they are more now focused on quality of what they do or what they get out of it, and hence more open to change if they do not see the result. As we also see in the corporate world, the generation is more inclined towards new experiences, quick gains out of their activities, more open for remote working, comparatively more social communication over technology than face-to-face. They are more open to change jobs if any of these requirements are not met. If we look at the changes in the relationship between guru/shishya, we see below influences and outcomes.

Value System: The family and value system in India is also influenced heavily by the globalization impact. The relationships, be it parent-child or guru-shishya, has changed to being more about mutual respect, understanding, and shared goals rather than strict hierarchical obedience.

Constraint of time: Spending lesser hours limited to class-time with the guru, also means more focus on subject-matter only. The deeper bonding time reduces, thus taking away the time to observe and imbibe the holistic aspects. With only online mode, the bonding reduces further.

Competitive environment: The pressure of academics also has a high influence on the children and their engagement with arts. The focus has changed towards high grades or excellence in all they do than towards real learning. They are all the time under pressure to jump from class to class, learn different things and excel. As they hit their critical education year like 10^th and 12^th, many drop out, to cope with the education pressure. All this also means, a breakdown in the guru-shishya relation.

Changing attitude towards learning: With the internet and smartphones, any information is available at finger click, including self-help, learn by yourself videos. This easy access leads to a more relaxed and casual approach to learning. Its also possible to quickly record what is taught and refer back, and not have to practice regularly to remember the piece. The effort and dedication towards learning reduces. Also, the demand vs supply has changed, especially in bigger cities. When the availability of skilled teachers/gurus is less, the seriousness of learning also increases, and the converse is also true. The changing attitude towards learning also means a changing attitude towards teachers/gurus.

But all the above have also meant a change in the expectations from the Gurus in the new age. There are pros and cons to this too.

Learning environment: First and foremost is the expectation of looking for an environment that is more encouraging, open and friendly. For those who have learnt in stricter environment based on unquestioned obedience and discipline, this can be a challenge adapting to in the teaching model. But as seen, many teachers, especially the younger ones are adapting to this ask of the new world. I specifically say new world, and not new generation. As even Gen Y and before are more receptive now to this world. Does this help in bonding? Yes, it does. It makes it also easier to talk to the youngsters in their own frequency. Youngsters are then more receptive towards subject-matter, life skills, values and morals passed on in informal manner. Since time for observation is limited, story based holistic learning together with subject-matter gets more students interested. The casual behaviour towards learning could also be contained.

Opportunities to shine: Second, every field has become more and more competitive today. The advent of social media and online platforms, and its proliferation into arts has only made this field more competitive. Also leading to mediocre content replacing superior content at times resulting in loss of opportunities for good artistes. Why? Thanks to the possibility of hitting likes, comments and sharing which can be achieved by network. In such an environment, a little push, some recommendation for opportunities, encouragement by pushing their student’s achievements/wins or their videos further in their network would help the good students to stand-out among the crowd.

Time management: Not to forget. Given that the art world is highly competitive with lesser opportunities to grow and earn, most of the younger generation is always under pressure to excel in academics to have a financial stability in future. But for those who are really passionate about art, but cannot manoeuvre around their academics, an expectation is also to get the support here, that they can somehow continue pursuing the art, but are able to manage their time too. With the usage of online platforms, especially in the post covid world, this is a possibility. Although it comes with the challenge of losing some deeper connect, it still helps the children to stay connected to their passion and not give up in the long run.

All is not lost in the new world. Just that the working and connecting mode has changed. And its upto us, whether gurus or shishyas alike to open up and discuss their challenges and expectations, so that we can forge new ways to relation building and continue to uphold our artistic culture for future generations.