The advent of technology has dramatically altered the way the world is moving. There has been a dramatic upsurge in the use of technology by the younger generation marking a transition from the traditional classrooms to modern ways of learning. Heavily influenced by digital technology and nurtured by technological devices, today’s children are aptly termed as tech-savvy. From studying to playing games on PC, everything is backed by technology making students independent and more empowered.
Though technological advancements in the field of education seem to have taken the world by storm, our traditional values and morals are gradually getting uprooted from the face of our country. In olden days, when there were no schools, children went to gurukuls where they were taught about the rich ancient culture that emphasised on the guru-disciple relationship. Teachers or Gurus were highly respected and elevated to the status of God. The students revered their teachers and considered them as role models unlike today’s tech-savvy children who would just scoff at it. According to an ancient Sanskrit phrase, “Acharya devo bhava”, you should treat teachers as you would treat God. However, it is lamentable that today’s tech-savvy children have no respect for teachers. Easy access to online courses, recorded lectures, digital textbooks and educational apps has reduced their dependency on teachers, thereby diminishing respect for them if any. They have forgotten that a teacher is much more than a facilitator; he/she is also a guide and mentor who imparts you with life skills, valuable life lessons and inspire you to reach your potential. They should, thus, learn from the gurukul culture and treat teachers next to God and give them the respect they deserve.
The gurukul culture instilled essential values that forms an intrinsic part of a child’s overall development. Discipline was given prime importance and all the children complied with the rules and regulations of the gurukul. There was an emphasis on imparting moral education to children which developed their character and influenced their conduct. Values such as honesty, respect, kindness, gratitude etc were deeply imbibed in children of that age. However, such values are found missing in today’s tech-savvy children as they are constantly hooked to their gadgets, paying little or absolutely no attention to learning manners or values. Moreover, they consider it unnecessary. The need of the hour is, thus, to acknowledge the magnitude of imbibing such good values in today’s children so that they are able to distinguish the right from wrong.
In discordance with today’s tech-savvy generation that can’t survive without internet, laptops, smartphones, and iPads among other devices, children in gurukul lived without pretentious objects in abject simplicity and humble backdrop irrespective of their royal lineage. Galvanised by this, the tech-savvy kids should try and work towards curtailing their obsession for the latest gizmos.
In the bygone era, children were taught in harmony with nature which helped them appreciate and understand nature unlike children today that wrecks havoc on nature by littering their surroundings and contributing to the ecological imbalance. These tech-savvy kids do not understand the intricacies of using technological devices that run on electricity, thereby extinguishing our energy sources. Moreover, the batteries and devices that die out are dumped carelessly, contributing to the world’s largest e-waste, thereby causing irreparable damage to our mother earth. You should, thus, learn to respect nature and do your part in order to save our dear planet.
In the gurukul system, students learnt not only about their heritage and culture, but also about God and scriptures. Chanting of shlokas etc was a common feat back then. It helped them remain calm and composed. In contrary, today’s tech-savvy children are exposed to the frenetic technological changes and complex challenges of the modern age. In order to keep pace with booming technology they spurn the idea of learning about their culture and history. It is, thus, imperative for them to not only learn the various nuances of what their culture has to offer but also take pride in it.
It cannot be gainsaid that in today’s age technology is reaching soaring levels of sophistication and one need to keep pace with it. However, it is also worth noting that there are indispensible things that today’s tech-savvy children can learn and imbibe from the gurukul culture.
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