Eklavya in the Virtual World

Pratima H 

Has the core essence of ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara’ been diluted or strengthened in the new-age world? Some veteran teachers chew this tough question on this Teachers’ Day

Technology has helped us survive and even thrive in a crisis that was a bolt from the blue. And it has spawned an entire edtech industry with a fresh jolt of explosion that was never seen before. But has it changed the core of learning, specially the backbone that India prides itself in?

Is technology bringing the ‘guru’ and ‘shishya’ closer as it starts blurring all geographical and economical boundaries? Or are we losing the beauty and depth of the oral, in-person tradition somewhere?

Then and Now – Time and Timeless

When you are teaching a classical art form for not some months or years but for decades, you definitely get a view that stretches and straddles many generations and shades of students. So an 80-year old, but young-at-heart, Kalakshetra Vilasini is the best person to ask if she was happy tuning in to the virtual world during the pandemic. She has taught a lot of students before the pandemic in her vast and deep lifetime as a Guru and was still swift to embrace technology. Surprisingly, she, a traditional learner and Guru who has been continuously dancing since she was 12, found it easy and exciting to switch to the modern tools. Yet, there is a difference and essence when we look at our quintessential Indian way of teaching.

“After learning for several years, you still start your day at 4 am by practising the basics – the adavu- that’s like being a master in literature and still practising the alphabets daily.” She explains when she compares the modern form of learning with the traditional cultural roots of learning in India. Another factor to note is that the presence of a Guru is indispensable.” She misses that presence and advises new learners to honour their Gurus – no matter where they are- with the same respect and love.” 

That means a lot coming from someone who was one of the first student from Kerala who got a scholarship to study Bharatnatyam in Chennai Kalakshetra under the famous Rukmini Devi Arundale. “My Guru told me to be persistent and be punctual. That can never be replaced wherever you are, and whenever you are learning and practising.”

Neha Muthiyan, Kathak Guru and Performer who has been celebrated with the 'Kanak Bhushan' award opines that the methodology has changed but the core stays the same. “I have been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with my Gurus. Whatever time I have spent with them has imbibed in me some values that are precious. With the changing times, many students are picking interest in art forms and with technology it is now possible to connect with masters all over the globe. The urge to impart authentic knowledge will not change despite the change in mediums.”

In a special panel discussion organised at the Kala Ashram College of Performing Arts, these teachers shared their reckoning of the changing learning landscape. Dr. Saroj Sharma, Director has been, herself, approached by students from all over the world who are keen to learn about our classical arts and Yoga. She has been conducting special cross-cultural workshops that have created a very strong impact over the last few years. Dr. Sharma was also one of the early adopter of the virtual medium as soon as the lockdowns begun. She was quick and fore-sighted enough to learn the ropes of technology and adapt as per the circumstances of the pandemic-hit world. She looks back and feels, “Although a lot of nuances can be corrected and improved upon through face-to-face lessons only, the virtual medium has allowed learners and teachers to maintain consistency, rigour and collaborative learning during the crisis. But it cannot be a once-a-week class. It has to be done passionately, whole-heartedly and without any distractions.”  

Learn – Beyond The Subject, and Without Time-Bombs

What definitely was a unanimous point nailed in this discussion was the importance of time spent with the teacher and the value of hard-core discipline. If students can still find ways to spend quality time with their teachers beyond the classroom aspects, they can pick a lot of personality traits and character-building layers from them. That’s a very significant part of the Indian Guru-Shishya tradition. “We see our Gurus and learn how to carry oneself, how to interact with other artists, how to talk, how to listen – they are never explicably taught by a Guru, but a good student reads these sub-texts while spending time with the Guru.” Muthiyan illustrates.

Incidentally most of these minds and veterans have learnt their art in a hard-core vintage way. They have picked their craft through Gurukul style institutions and teachers. 

Sikha Khare is a social worker who has created a NGO called "Saniddhya" since 2000 for promoting Indian Art and Culture in India and abroad and for social cause. She echoes this point of immersing oneself completely in the space. It cannot be like other subjects and done in a jump-in and jump-out mode. “Learning an art is a lot of stuff beyond the subject. We learn so much from our teacher in an indirect form. The journey of constant ‘Riyaas’ and corrections from the Guru is something that is very unique to classical art form of learning in India. We used to travel with our Gurus and learnt so much by just watching them.” She definitely applauds the scale, timeless flexibility and geographical reach which technology has allowed now. All that remains is adding more depth and weight to these virtual and digital classrooms.

These aspects – that digital mediums still need to traverse- were highlighted with many anecdotes and examples by various teachers. 

Sampada Pillai, who has combined her strong background in both Visual Art and the Classical Dance – Kathak, tells that when we learnt from our Gurus there was no room for time-tables or hard-stop class hours. “We learnt, practised and learnt without any clocks. The most important part was the bond and loyalty a student forms with a Guru – and that’s surprising because most Gurus were strict and meticulous. And yet the love we have for our Gurus is impossible to shake.” She worries about the hurry to learn that is palpable now. What is also worth fixing is the impatience in modern classrooms. No matter how much you learn through YouTube or Google, if you do not have a Guru to guide you on minute corrections on ‘movements, nazar, expressions’ it is impossible to learn a complex subject like art.”

U-turn To The Indian Way

Truly. The impact of technology is hard to ignore. But a lot is possible and lacking which is where we need to look back at Indian foundations. 

“The question is, what and how much can learners learn by themselves? About 100 years ago, in the Victorian system of education that India follows, the answer was – nothing much. Learners need books to learn from, they need teachers who know and they need strict discipline to ensure that they will learn regardless of whether they want to or not. The world has moved on, but Indian learners continue to remain reluctantly forced to memorise and repeat until they are ignorantly certified.”

That’s what transpires as a perspective when we ask Prof. Sugata Mitra, an expert in Education Technology who has been chosen as a keynote speaker at the International Summit on Early Years (ISEY) 2021 organized by KLAY PreSchools and Day Care. In his talk this former professor of Newcastle University in England where he taught Educational Technology, dwells deeper into the aspect of ‘Forward’ to Normal – A Practical Post-Pandemic Approach to Education.  

Mitra, also known for his ‘hole-in-the-wall’ experiment with children, ardently insists that we need to change, or the education system will become increasingly meaningless. “If we want to change, we can do so in months. To produce a generation who will say, “hang on” before they say, “I don’t know”. Everyone has access to a screen that says, “Ask anything”. But unlike the ‘Vardaan’ that was so venerated in the India of antiquity, the education system bans the internet from schools and examinations. The average Indian understands this paranoia of teachers and educators – they google what they don’t know. There is no examination where a group of learners with internet access are asked to solve a meaningful problem, or form a considered opinion. This is not ‘knowing’.”

It’s time we stare bravely at the problems and opportunities that the new age presents for both learners and teachers.

Muthiyan reminds that technology is not a stop-gap answer but a reality that we need to embrace. “Technology is going to be the future. The pandemic has taught us a lot. We do not know what is coming. We have to go with the flow. The depth of erstwhile in-person teaching will come with time – and hopefully well – with virtual tools too.”

And Dr. Sharma sums it up best. “There is still some difference between an instant cup of noodles and a meal cooked by the Mom. Technology can help but nothing can be achieved by skipping patience, practice, passion, love and dedication for what you are learning. No tool can be a substitute for true respect for one’s Guru and hard work. No short-cuts here.”

So whether you are an Eklavya or a Drona, make sure that you have all the arrows in the quiver, even if it has a big keyboard now.