Acharya Dr. M. J. Pillai
On this 80th Independence Day celebration let’s see what the Master has to say about us as a nation and us as citizens of this ‘Free’ Nation.
Read only if you have the courage to face truths and the grit to do something
about it…
“Due to more than 1000 years
of oppression and slavery, we Indians have been cut-off from our original
culture. Today what survives are merely fragments of what existed and these
bits and pieces, that we hold on to today, are disconnected and are therefore a
source of great confusion and misunderstanding.
Which is why newer generations find our ancient cultural
practices to be more like superstitions, imaginative stories or myths and hence
find it hard to accept or practice the same. They try to look for meaning/reason
in those fragments which is unfortunately missing.
Before the multiple foreign invasions, what we received in our Ancient Indian Gurukulam
System was real education (given from a young age) as compared to the post-independence,
formal western education which is actually merely qualifications that we are
getting today.
10th qualifies you for 11th, 12th for
graduation and graduation for getting a job. So, you can ‘earn’ money. But is
that all that education is for?
This western qualification system is the major cause that has kept us severed
from our culture.
Our leaders post-independence did not take efforts to reconnect us to
our traditions and heritage.
They simply rejoiced the freedom FROM the British.
They should have focused on what we got freedom FOR.
With a vision for a brighter India they should have, among a lot of other
things, also brought back our education system, which would have revived the
base of our rich culture and heritage.
Our traditional practices, food, lifestyle, other sciences like astronomy, medicine,
economics, politics, martial arts, yoga, sangeet (vocals, instruments, dance and poetry/lyrics) etc. and other skills
for livelihood, all this was a part of our education system.
We didn't have to go anywhere separate for the same.
And this in entirety is what made us complete or whole as humans.
Our education taught us how to take care of ourselves, our homes, our family/relations,
our society, our nation, etc.
Each art and science taught in the Gurukulam system added to
our over-all development and was not just a bombardment of information. It
included knowledge, skill, application and responsibility.
This is why we were a sane and healthy civilization.
Today that is missing and hence we are disturbed as a society. We face issues
like anxiety, fear, depression, mental breakdown, etc. because we aren't
educated on how to handle situations which come in life.
If we wish to get the legacy that our ancestors had created with great discipline,
patience and hard work, we need to reconnect with our culture and practices. We
need to rectify the failings of our post-independence leaders, we need to
collectively work towards bringing back our ancient Gurukulam education system.
Today some individuals, in the name of gurukuls, have
started a few education centres but they have only one or two
subjects/practices being taught. However, that was not how our ancient
Gurukulam system functioned. We had multiple subjects and topics (as mentioned
earlier) being taught and trained by rishis/gurus. That is what we need to
recreate today, with those who are masters/experts in each individual field.
And such experts or masters in different subjects exist even
today in our country, along with visionaries to overlook the same. If we bring
them together, we can establish such Gurukulam style academies that don’t
simply qualify but educate students.
Our government has invested millions on researches to the
moon and for outer space. And that definitely is a field that puts India on the
international map alongside other developed countries. They have also brought
advancement in many other fields in the last decade, which is well appreciated as
it shows that our branches are growing far and strong. But, our roots (i.e. our
core education system) also needs to be taken care of. Hence, we need to invest
within making our roots strong as well, so that we become a global force that leads
and guides the world once again, not like the current so-called Super Power domination,
but through our ancient concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is
one family).
If the current government decisively plans to do so, within
a span of 10 years (one generation from 1st to 10th std.)
we can see results. In one short decade, we can create the start of an educated,
cultured and healthy society with youth reconnected to our ancient culture and
roots.
Because what freedom are you truly celebrating today?
We only got freed from the foreign rulers, but we are still
slaves to their created polices. Slave to their qualification system, slave to
their governing system, slave to their English language, slave to their food,
slave to their western lifestyle including culture, clothes and habits.
So, sow the seeds for REAL freedom today! Freedom from the conditioning
and ideologies that have been forcefully dumped on us by invaders who were
envious of our happiness, of our knowledge, of our riches, of our health and of
our heritage.
Today our Independence Day has mostly been reduced to a National
Holiday. Or a festivity. Which is fine as long as it also acts as a day of reflection.
A day where we take vows to make our country better!
So what can you do?
All isn’t lost, we can make it right. I will contribute in every way I can. But I can’t do this alone.
I have the lit the torch by sharing my views here. Let’s spread the light.”
Love and Regards,
Acharya Dr. M. J. Pillai
Yoga and Martial Arts Educationist
Spiritual Guru, Health and Lifestyle Expert
Acharya Dr. M. J. Pillai has been guiding and blessing individuals worldwide for more than 3 decades and has the vision to see India in the same energy, prosperity and bliss as it was centuries ago. He invites like-minded people to join Him in this journey to create a better community to live in.
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