Goru Babu or Guru Babu
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher
for living well.” Alexander the Great
I debated how to begin this article—on a positive or
negative note. The positive start would be: ‘The hallmark of a civilized
society is the dignity afforded to the teaching profession.’ However, the
negative start, which would also be painfully accurate, is – the sign of a
declining society is the disrespect and mistreatment it shows towards teachers.
So, which of these signs is more evident in Sikkim today?
King Louis XIV of France, who ruled for 72 years, never
forgot the respect he owed to his teacher, François de La Mothe Le Vayer. In a
rare gesture for a monarch, Louis XIV personally attended his teacher’s
funeral, honouring him in a way seldom bestowed upon a commoner. That was back
in the 1700s when democracy and human rights were unheard of.
Now, let’s fast forward to a story from modern democratic Sikkim,
just four years ago. During the COVID-19 lockdown, a teacher was caught by a
policeman while biking, in violation of lockdown norms. The cocky policeman, in
a demeaning tone, asked, “Gorubabu ho ki, gurubabu?” (Are you an ox or a
teacher?), and forced the teacher to do sit-ups while holding his ears—an
entire spectacle captured on camera. The video was instantly shared on social
media, going viral among the lockdown-weary audience, desperate for any form of
entertainment. The policeman and his female assistant, who had subjected this
poor teacher to public humiliation, seemed quite pleased with themselves,
proudly touting the 'hard work' they were doing as police officers.
While catching a teacher breaking the law was justified,
publicly shaming him with such demeaning words was completely uncalled for,
much less the sit-ups, filming and publicizing of it on social media. Imagine
the teacher’s plight as he later conducted online classes, knowing his students
had seen him being humiliated in this way. Think of the lasting impression this
video must have left on the hundreds of young minds who watched it. And think
of Sikkimese society, too afraid to condemn such public shaming of a school
teacher—because who dares to speak against the police in Sikkim?
In September 2021, Sikkim witnessed another deeply troubling
incident that starkly revealed the state's attitude toward the teaching
profession. The government abruptly dismissed over 800 ad hoc teachers, leaving
them in a state of shock and uncertainty right in the middle of a global
pandemic. Desperate for answers and justice, many of these sacked educators
gathered at the state secretariat, hoping for a fair hearing. Their request was
simple: ‘allow us to continue our jobs until the teacher selection examination will
be held’. The wisdom of laying off anyone during a pandemic was questionable,
yet no one raised this concern—except for the victims themselves, as is often
the case in Sikkim. The government, however, remained unmoved. Then a video
surfaced showing a school teacher being forcibly removed and hurled into a
police van by government officials, simply for standing his ground.
In response to the dismissals, some teachers began a hunger
strike outside the district administration centre in Gangtok, demanding
government intervention. The situation escalated further when the government
introduced a new regularization policy, which sparked a counter-protest from
other teachers awaiting their own regularization. These teachers gheraoed the
protesting group, leading to chaotic scenes that starkly contrasted with the
dignity of the teaching profession. Ironically, these unsettling events took
place around the nationally celebrated Teacher’s Day, adding a poignant layer
to the already grim situation. The disturbing videos of these incidents
continued to circulate on social media. The question is not- whether or not those
teachers were right. The cardinal question is - should the government not have
handled the matter in an honourable manner befitting the dignity of the
profession?
These rare incidents reflect our broader attitude towards
the teaching profession. While we may ceremonially celebrate and bestow high
respect upon teachers, in practice, we often fail to truly honour and value
their position. The audacity of a policeman, who may barely be a high school
graduate, to ridicule a school teacher by calling him ‘gorubabu’ reflects a
deeply ingrained disrespect towards educators that has built up over time.
Perhaps the most unfortunate incident was the one on August
9, just a few days ago, when our Chief Minister publicly rebuked a few
assistant professors for ‘blackmailing’ him. The miffed CM announced a
significant policy shift saying that regularization after four years will now
be changed into regularization after 8 years. “Let them go to the court. We are
ready to fight them there” he added. “Regularization policy change” seems to a
popular technique of the Sikkim government to tackle any teacher related
conundrum. The next episode of the series unfolded soon with these teachers
tendering an apology to the CM- the whole sordid affair was splashed across the
media. Who says Sikkim is boring? Where else can you get this kind of
live-action drama?
While the assistant professors’ approach may have been
misguided and even wrong (that’s why they apologised), the Chief Minister’s
public reprimand set a troubling tone. Such matters could have been handled
discreetly, preserving the dignity of the teaching profession. The Education
Department should be competent enough to address these issues privately, sparing
teachers from public humiliation. (In my view, if the Sikkim Education
Department were to adhere to UGC norms for recruitment, there would be no need
for emotional blackmailing or WhatsApp messages to the Chief Minister, nor for
the CM to promise regularization or “instruct the Education Minister in public”
to withdraw regularization orders. Upholding the principles of meritocracy, both
at the elementary and the highest levels of educational institutions, is a
straightforward and essential approach. But that is beside the point here).
These expressions of disrespect and a humiliating attitude
against teachers culminated in a brutal assault on a school principal in Tumin
Lingee on August 11. The sight of hooligans attacking a helpless school teacher
and other innocent victims in broad daylight, with onlookers merely watching,
is a chilling indication of what might come next. The few cheering/jeering
voices of young men endorsing this hooliganism reveal the dangerous direction
our youth have been led to.
This is not to suggest that teachers deserve unconditional
respect. Our schools across the state are not the best in the country, and
teachers must take responsibility for many of the shortcomings. Additionally,
there are teachers who attend political rallies more regularly than their
schools, serving their political masters more than their schools. Some are
perpetually seeking ‘lucrative’ deputations under the blessings of their
leaders. However, these issues should be addressed on an individual basis. Teachers
are not ‘GORU babus’ to be publicly assaulted or ridiculed. They should not be
the butt of jokes or subjected to public reprimand. Disrespecting educators
undermines their authority and sets a dangerous precedent for future generations.
We must change our attitudes towards teachers to avoid irreversible
consequences. From public shame to brutal assaults, the plight of teachers is
worsening. Many innocent people and activists have also fallen victim to
violence. If this trend isn’t resisted, the worst is yet to come.
The present trend in Sikkim is deeply concerning. When
terrible things happen to unfortunate victims, for examples teachers as in the
above cases, we often display collective indifference. This public non-reaction
gradually evolves into a cultural attitude toward injustice. Our collective
insensitivity to unfairness faced by individuals only emboldens the
perpetrators.
We don’t need to be perpetually positive—there’s a
significant advantage to a negative bias. While positive people might dismiss
the rustle in the woods as just the wind, negative people remain vigilant,
considering it could be caused by a tiger or a lion. When a real lion appears,
the negative person has a better chance of survival. The Sikkimese have been
dismissing the rustle in the woods for far too long.
The government can take two urgent steps to achieve this.
First, stop using teaching jobs as a tool for political gain. Second, implement
a rigorous recruitment process based on meritocracy. An annual recruitment
examination for aspiring teachers would prevent politicians from using
regularization as an electoral promise. This is the only way to keep education
above politics and achieve meaningful improvement in our school system.
“The present trend
in Sikkim is deeply concerning. When terrible things happen to unfortunate
victims, for examples teachers as in the above cases, we often display
collective indifference. This public non-reaction gradually evolves into a
cultural attitude toward injustice. Our collective insensitivity to unfairness
faced by individuals only emboldens the perpetrators.”
