I still remember….

It was the second session of the day in my school. Most of us were super excited and some were kind of scared! It was time for our martial arts class. As soon as the bell rang, we all walked in a row, like an overly disciplined class, and reached the activity hall in no time. The hall was unusually quiet; there was no noise, as the loud noise of kicks and punches was totally absent. To me it was like the eighth wonder of the world! It was our usual practice during the martial arts session to exhale our anger with kicks and punches, but this session seemed a bit different. Slowly we went into the hall and took our places.

After some time our instructor came in and announced, “No fights today. I want to simply ask you a question.” We looked up with surprise and apprehension.

“What is education?” he asked.

At this question, most boys laughed, and the girls had hushed conversations. A student got up and answered confidently, “Education is study, graduation, and finally settlement!”

Amit sir, our martial arts teacher, had an amused look, and with a mysterious smile on his face, he said, “Let’s look at this perspective. I am your martial arts teacher, I teach you techniques to fight. Right? Have you ever seen a street fight? ”

We answered in chorus, “Yes!”

He continued, “Street fights don’t have any rules, you just have to save yourself and wildly hit your enemy. What would you do if you were trapped in such a situation?”

“We will fight with the techniques you have taught us,” we all said steadily.

“Children, I can only give you the tools and techniques, you will have to make the choice in that moment as to which will be the most appropriate move. You will not win unless you analyze the situation and think up your own strategy! And the same thing happens with the distorted understanding of education. All of you just mean to get a degree and settle down. The question to ponder is, will this be enough to chart the path towards your life goals?”

The climax was disturbed by the bell; Amit sir took a deep breath and paused. All of us stood up and ran to the next class. But I found something had changed within myself, a type of enlightenment, I guess. I was trying to understand why this was happening and zap! I soon had the reason. I had found myself getting trapped in the illusion of education, and unfortunately many in my community are also trapped in this illusion.

Now I have a better understanding of what real education could signify. Studies and theories are only part of education. To make it full, one needs to analyze, modify, and then use these theories in practical life. And when you completely escape the illusion you’ll discover the power of your being. That day I shared my insights with friends and parents and they liked it, too!