“I was outside the classroom, hanging out with a couple of boys. She was walking towards the school, draped in a white, starched cotton sari. She walked like a peacock. We 'examined' her. She is just out of college; can she handle us? As a new teacher, she seemed nervous. When she walked into our classroom, we wanted to do something to disrupt her life. When she came towards the last bench and leaned on my table to talk to my friends, I felt inspired. I quietly emptied the ink from my pen on her sari. She did not notice it until she reached the staff room. After a while, she summoned me. I guessed it would be one more suspension coming my way that year. But she took my pen, filled it with ink and gave it back to me,” said Sadhguru, spiritual leader and founder of Isha Foundation, as he recounted his first encounter with his English teacher, Sarasa.
Almost 45 years after that memorable episode, 61-year-old Sadhguru was back in his school in Mysuru, and reminisced about his school days, in conversation with his teacher Sarasa, as part of 'Youth and Truth'— his month-long travel campaign to connect with the youth in campuses across the country. During the campaign, Sadhguru promises to answer all questions posed by the youth, celebrities and youth icons.
His stopover at Mysuru where he spent his childhood, evoked nostalgia as the sprawling green campus of the Demonstration School was crowded with students, teachers and alumni who waited for the rare spectacle —of a teacher seeking answers to the challenges facing the education system and the country, from her student. The “exuberant backbencher” had transformed into a widely acclaimed spiritual guru with a huge following across the globe.
Recalling his school days, Sadhguru said: “I loved the open space here, trees and the Bogadi lake. Of all the schools I went to, I enjoyed it here as it was a multi-purpose school with lot of activities. I hope it is still the same. My memory of school is in the visuals, sounds and the aromas. This school is special also because no other school kept me for more than an year. This kept me for two years [Classes 9 and 10]. I did come to school whenever it was must,”said Sadhguru, as students cheered.
Unravelling his journey as a student, Sadhguru said: “When I was eight, a dark cloud of a billion questions was in my mind. But all the answers I got were ready-made. Those who knew me would tell you I had no notes, textbooks or guides. I could spend hours watching the leaves or the ant, trying to figure out how they functioned. I used to sit up all night,” he said.
Sadhguru called himself an 'absentee student', even though he was physically present. “I spent time with the nature of my own body and mind and flirted with 10-15 different ideas at the same time. I appeared withdrawn in school but was exuberantly alive. I knew nothing about the universe, so, became attentive—not in the class, but to the world. My report card never showed more than 37 marks [out of 100]. I used to walk out of the examination hall in 30 min, as it was mandatory to stay back that long. I managed to score pass marks. Education was a sideline. I kept going to the next class as I did not want to be left behind or miss my classmates,” he said.
When the teacher interrupted to inquire how the youth could be made truthful, Sadhguru said that the idea is not to get the youth to tell the truth but to encourage them to explore the truth. “Many people ask me why I did not meet them in their youth. So I decided to step out and connect with the youth. Today, I see youth and children lacking in enthusiasm. They have a hundred questions in their mind. But no religion, teachers, parents or gurus answer the questions. People get angry because they do not have an answer.”
A few days back, when a reporter asked Sadhguru what purpose would asking questions serve, he said, “Asking questions is an effective way to further one's knowledge. And the best thing is that a question can never be wrong. I ask the young to throw any question without fear or reverence. I will answer them. Lakhs of questions have come. We will ensure each of them are answered. You are never to be the problem but a part of the solution. 'Youth and Truth' is an attempt to equip future citizens with clarity to help them make life choices that will allow them to explore their full potential joyfully.”
He added: “What works in all levels of life must be the truth. It is scientifically proven that when you are in the highest level of pleasantness, you are more successful. Your success depends on how well you harness your body and mind. How do I earn a living should not be an issue. It does not need a superman's agenda to live like yourself, the way you want. The problem arises when you want to live like the others.” According to Sadhguru, India's demographic advantage (with 52 per cent of population below 35 years) can help it evolve as a powerful force only when its youth realise their full potential.
When Sadhguru's teacher sought to know how to rid the parental obsession with marks, he quipped: “Stop sending the report cards home.” Lamenting that parents were still obsessed with their children pursuing medicine or engineering, he said, “As a kid, I consistently got six zeros in my report card, though I would manage to get a few numericals occasionally. I thought the report card was a transaction between my teacher and father. Nobody told me why I should go to school. People always ask will you become doctor or engineer? How are these two connected? My physician father wanted me to become a doctor as my three elder siblings failed him. Unfortunately, every child in India continues to face the same demand. This obsession is a social problem and has got nothing to do with education.”
Shunning the social hierarchy associated with professions, Sadhguru said, “Place all professional on the same level. I am not trying to disqualify our education system. But our approach is flawed. As a country we must produce great electricians, plumbers, carpenters, drivers, teachers, engineers and doctors. Imagine you trying to reach the best doctor in town during a medical emergency and end up hopping into an autorickshaw with a bad driver. All professions are important for our survival.”
Children are made for the universe, not university, said Sadhguru, who feels that the “factory schools” are trying to preparing kids for a future and miss out on teaching them how to live in the present and excel.
As adults, we bully children and try to teach them many things, warns the guru. “I feel the child learns best when he is allowed to explore on his own. When my daughter was a toddler, I used to tell people not to teach her anything. She picked up many languages.”
Taking on contentious issues like religious fundamentalism, lynchings, Uniform Civil Code and reservation, during his tours, Sadhguru elaborated on the nature of Hindu culture and civilisation. On the need for reservation, Sadhguru noted that the country is known to have treated a mass of people as 'sub-humans', who were not allowed to draw water from the common well, drink tea in hotels or take out a funeral procession inside the village. “So, it is important we create a level playing field for all. But entry point reservation is welcome, but not for promotions as necessary credentials are important for a promotion. If you ask if reservation has ended discrimination, we can be assured that many have moved out of that low-caste trap. However a substantial amount of population remains victims of discrimination. But no political leader wants to touch it as election is a number-game, like the examination.”
“As long as you have the concept of a nation, one cannot have people following different sets of rules and talk of integration. We should make Uniform Civil Code possible,” he said.
Religious fanaticism is anti-thesis to Hindus as India has always been a land of seekers and not believers, said Sadhguru. "Hindu is not a religion. It comes from Himalayas and Indusagara—both of which protected us and our civilisation. So, even an earthworm born here is Hindu. Rama and Krishna are people like you and me. But we worship them for a reason. Feminists' charge against Rama is that he abandoned Sita. But he sacrificed his family for the good of people. Don't we want such leaders?" he said.
When asked to choose between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi as a leader, Sadhguru said blind support to an individual or party would be detrimental to democracy. "In a democracy every individual decides on his own and votes. All else is like promoting feudalism or monarchy. In the US, people are already committed as Democrats and Republicans. Now, where is democracy? The moment I give a call to vote for a particular party or person, I would be killing democracy."
