Editorial

A good teacher has three beautiful attributes of her personality - Truth, Love and Courage.

Love is both the starting point and the fountain head of human values. Not surprisingly, after a great deal of deliberations, the Children's University has three words Satyam, Brihat and Ritam as its "symbols". Brihat or extensive wideness is possible only with the key of love as any absence of love only makes us grow narrower and constricted.

A great Sufi saint called Baba Farid after whom the city of Faridkot in Pakistan is named has composed several beautiful hymns. There is an interesting incident that came to be a 'moment of truth' - a defining moment of his life.

Coming from a royal family and having lost his father at a very young age, legend has it that his mother brought him up. She was a great believer in the Supreme and wanted her son to be on this path too. To inculcate the habit of praying daily, she told the young Farid that if he said his prayers with faith, God would be pleased and give him a piece of "sugar candy". The child would pray daily and find a candy under the mat after his prayer.

After many moons, once his distraught mother sat there not being able to smuggle a piece of Candy under his mat and prayed to Him with all her being - she beseeched Him to ensure that the absence of Candy didn't breach Farid's faith in Him. On finishing his prayers, a poised Farid walked up to his mother. As various doubts and fears crossed her mind for an instant, his eyes shining with a new light to doing looked into her questioning eyes with love. He answered that he had had seen 'Noor' or Light today. This light was far sweeter than the sugar candy he had everyday.

A true teacher, his mother had gently led him to his self. A good teacher can educate her student by instruction, example and inspiration in a space soaked in truth, lover and courage.

Let us also recall what Sri Aurobindo said about a teacher "He does not arrogate to himself Guruhood in a humanly vain and self exalting spirits. His work is a trust from above, he himself a channel, a vessel or a representative. He is a man helping his brothers, a child leading children, a light kindling other lights, an awakened soul awakening souls".

Smt. Jayanti S. Ravi