<div>H<em>e will have to learn, I know,<br />that all men are not just,<br />all men are not true.<br />But teach him also that<br />for every scoundrel there is a hero;<br />that for every selfish politician,<br />there is a dedicated leader…<br />Teach him for every enemy there is a friend…</em><br />— Abraham Lincoln’s letter to his son’s teacher<br /><br />Gurcharan Das, in his landmark book, <em>The Difficulty of Being Good</em>, gives a modern twist to the epic <em>Mahabharata</em> and takes us into the complex world of Dharma. When Draupadi asks the court, “Whom did you lose first, yourself or me?” Bhishma concludes in great distress that he is unable to find a straight answer, that the matter is complex, and says, “Dharma is subtle, my dear. I fail to resolve your question in the proper way.”<br /><br />Mr Parthiv Kundu’s dilemma finds enough corners in all our hearts, and Draupadi’s questions still seek answers. By design humans begin the day to do good; at least, a majority. Through the course of the day we encounter multiple challenges and struggle to find answers that give us balance. The daily journey from the abstract notions of the mind and heart to the actual happenings around us pull us into many directions. With so much connectivity and information around, Dharma becomes subtler. With so much talk of virtues of change, we struggle to know what to change and what not to change. The only constant is change, buzzes around so much that it becomes impossible to even stop and breathe.<br /><br />And then we see people like Parthiv, who, after a life-long pursuit of what he believed to be a value-based approach to life, questions the very tenets that he held so dear. That adds to the list of daily dilemmas.<br /><br />It is in this context that we seek answers to what is the purpose of education and what is academia doing about it. One is reminded of Mark Twain’s thoughts on this subject: “I never allowed schooling to interfere with my education.” The journey from knowledge to wisdom is a function of all that happens around us in our lives, since such education is only one part of it. Parenting, extra-curricular activities, friendships, family, religion, social life, happenings around us, reading and reflection, theatre and many more elements go into developing our view of the world.<br /><br />I would not like to conclude that education is just about skills. It is a package that comes in different sizes and shapes all the time, and from different quarters. All the actors in the journey of an individual play an active part in the journey from knowledge to wisdom. To engage with the child through the course of this journey is a continuous responsibility. And for parents and the child, it is life-long.<br /><br />All change is not progress. The universe around abounds with examples of things that don’t change. And we need to pay heed to that and find our own anchors. But, each one of us has to find her own solutions.<br /><br />A belief that is a personal truth needs to find utterance with values that are universal truths. And that pursuit is a life-long one as well. Yes, the world changes and there are generational gaps. But, effectiveness lies in our ability to constantly have a dialogue with all those around us, to have more questions and opportunities for reflections. Through such a course of events, we keep discovering what to keep and what to change. Through such realisations, we individually find our answers to the eternal question of Dharma. Within all this struggle and confusion, the needle will always point north.<br /> <br />In concluding, let me close with another wonderful quote from the letter Abraham Lincoln wrote to his son’s teacher: “Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself, because then he will have sublime faith in mankind.” When such faith arises in the self, people like Punya Kundu will find his own answers that will lead to balance. Humanity is not a witless word and integrity an idealistic dream; they are sanathana Dharma. The roses will remain fragrant for many a December. <br /><br /><em>The author is executive vice-president and global head of human resources, EXL Service</em><br /><br />(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 29-07-2013)</div>
