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Subroto Bagchi is the founder and CEO of Mindtree. Once he was the chief guest for the International Academy for Creative Teaching, Bangalore, on January \(6\), \(2005\), where he gave an inspirational speech on the convocation day for the graduating teachers.
Note: He said "I" and "me" everywhere, but it was meant for all the human beings and the students who are going to be taught as they are our future generations. In the same way "he" and "him" in the explanation is about society and the social beings living in it along with the students.
He appeals the teachers who are graduating that year to teach the students beyond their syllabus such as the values of life and the skills to live and develop themselves which helps them to understand that their life should be useful and meaningful.
Speech by Subroto Bagchi:
He said it is a great day for teachers who are graduating in \(2005\) and the administration and faculties who are giving another set of good teachers to the world. Since they are teachers, they are going to inspire and teach the coming generations.
He said he was honoured to be there on the graduating day occasion of the teachers as he is sharing their happiness and dreams. He wanted to ask the graduating teachers a few things on behalf of students who are going to be taught by them. He said that he is not going to ask the usual questions but something different.
Speech by Subroto Bagchi:
He said it is a great day for teachers who are graduating in \(2005\) and the administration and faculties who are giving another set of good teachers to the world. Since they are teachers, they are going to inspire and teach the coming generations.
He said he was honoured to be there on the graduating day occasion of the teachers as he is sharing their happiness and dreams. He wanted to ask the graduating teachers a few things on behalf of students who are going to be taught by them. He said that he is not going to ask the usual questions but something different.
First of all, Subroto asked the teachers to teach them the importance of inclusion.
He said the people who write the syllabus or the textbook do not explain the importance of inclusion in life. When the teachers teach them the importance of inclusion, then the students can understand that there are no fixed boundaries to limit themselves and instead go beyond it.
He gave a few examples of inclusion.
1. Subroto said that he generally cleans house but puts the garbage on the roads. Because he feels that "roads" are not his, his house is his, and he should always keep it neat and clean. He need not bother about the roads.
2. He makes sure that his children are not going hungry and feed them regularly, but he doesn't even ask his servants or maids whether they have eaten or not. This is because their hunger is not very important for him and he doesn't bother about them.
3. He makes sure his children enjoy, so he takes them to the movies for entertainment, but he don't thinks of his neighbour's kid who cannot afford all this entertainment. Just because the child is not his and is not included in his parenting, he doesn't take care of them.
So Subroto asked the teachers to teach the importance of inclusion in our day to day life to care for everyone.
He said the people who write the syllabus or the textbook do not explain the importance of inclusion in life. When the teachers teach them the importance of inclusion, then the students can understand that there are no fixed boundaries to limit themselves and instead go beyond it.
He gave a few examples of inclusion.
1. Subroto said that he generally cleans house but puts the garbage on the roads. Because he feels that "roads" are not his, his house is his, and he should always keep it neat and clean. He need not bother about the roads.
2. He makes sure that his children are not going hungry and feed them regularly, but he doesn't even ask his servants or maids whether they have eaten or not. This is because their hunger is not very important for him and he doesn't bother about them.
3. He makes sure his children enjoy, so he takes them to the movies for entertainment, but he don't thinks of his neighbour's kid who cannot afford all this entertainment. Just because the child is not his and is not included in his parenting, he doesn't take care of them.
So Subroto asked the teachers to teach the importance of inclusion in our day to day life to care for everyone.
Subroto requested to teach them how to communicate with each other.
He says he doesn't want to talk for the sake of talking, but he wants to communicate. In this world of competition wherein, as the students grow, they have to write many entrance tests, and these tests will decide their fate. Unless and until students get good scores or ranks in the test's they are not eligible for anything. The world is so involved in impressing but forgetting about expressing. So, he wants the teacher to make the students communicate what they feel, as they are not able to put it on paper whatever they need to communicate.
He says to teach communication like a small child who doesn't understand how to manipulate the speech, like a flower, who has no artificial thing in it. He wants to talk to those who cannot speak or hear (deaf and dumb) and send messages to them. He wants to communicate with people who have fewer facilities. He wants to communicate with who is older than him and who is going to be with him forever. He wants to communicate with both living and non-living things.
Subroto wants children to be taught the process of learning.
He says that as the children grow up, they have to take care of themselves and the people around them. So, learning once is not enough; they have to learn every time a new thing to keep in pace with the world and take care of themselves and their family. The students have to learn new things every time, and sometimes even they have to learn very quickly. So, the entire process of learning itself will become difficult. He says the students need help to learn new things, and the process of learning should be enjoyable.
He says he doesn't want to talk for the sake of talking, but he wants to communicate. In this world of competition wherein, as the students grow, they have to write many entrance tests, and these tests will decide their fate. Unless and until students get good scores or ranks in the test's they are not eligible for anything. The world is so involved in impressing but forgetting about expressing. So, he wants the teacher to make the students communicate what they feel, as they are not able to put it on paper whatever they need to communicate.
He says to teach communication like a small child who doesn't understand how to manipulate the speech, like a flower, who has no artificial thing in it. He wants to talk to those who cannot speak or hear (deaf and dumb) and send messages to them. He wants to communicate with people who have fewer facilities. He wants to communicate with who is older than him and who is going to be with him forever. He wants to communicate with both living and non-living things.
Subroto wants children to be taught the process of learning.
He says that as the children grow up, they have to take care of themselves and the people around them. So, learning once is not enough; they have to learn every time a new thing to keep in pace with the world and take care of themselves and their family. The students have to learn new things every time, and sometimes even they have to learn very quickly. So, the entire process of learning itself will become difficult. He says the students need help to learn new things, and the process of learning should be enjoyable.
Subroto's next interest was about nature. He says everything in nature is interconnected and asks the teachers to teach them to the students.
He says not only to teach about how the waves will rise but also teach how and why it falls. These can be related to the ups and downs of our own life. So, falling or failing is not final; it is just the stepping stone to success. He also asks the teacher to teach how to appreciate the trees as they are helpful to us in many ways. The trees are being cut down for our materialist needs. The small creatures are being killed by the usage of fertilizers and insecticides on the crops. The balance of nature is deterring because of the garbage or decay. These are produced because of the materialist world, which is causing devastation and loss. One day our people are going to get destroyed because of this.
I see many scavenging birds like vultures he asks the teacher to explain why the sweet, singing birds are dying. He wants the little birds to be seen on the window sill again as it was from a few years there is pollution and wastage of plastics and all are killing those birds.
He requests the teachers to teach not only answering whatever is asked, but also the courage to question themselves and the others.
He says not only to teach about how the waves will rise but also teach how and why it falls. These can be related to the ups and downs of our own life. So, falling or failing is not final; it is just the stepping stone to success. He also asks the teacher to teach how to appreciate the trees as they are helpful to us in many ways. The trees are being cut down for our materialist needs. The small creatures are being killed by the usage of fertilizers and insecticides on the crops. The balance of nature is deterring because of the garbage or decay. These are produced because of the materialist world, which is causing devastation and loss. One day our people are going to get destroyed because of this.
I see many scavenging birds like vultures he asks the teacher to explain why the sweet, singing birds are dying. He wants the little birds to be seen on the window sill again as it was from a few years there is pollution and wastage of plastics and all are killing those birds.
He requests the teachers to teach not only answering whatever is asked, but also the courage to question themselves and the others.
Everyone tells us to do whatever is already told to us, and we become slaves of those things. He said to teach us to question those things so that we get proper answers. If we get answers, we can find more about those things and find the solutions to the problems by ourselves. In that way, whatever we find out others will also ask questions and finally whatever is the truth that will come out.
Subroto was so involved that he says he learns more about modesty, he wants to know how is that all that we get to survive is free. Everything like air, water, soil, which are the necessities is free of cost.
Subroto says that we are all living in an increasing materialist world, and the people are given importance on how much bank balance one has, the value of their cars, watches, and their dresses. He will be judged based on whether he is capable of buying costly things. He cannot always question the world because it is not about a single person, but he wants to understand how the most important things to survive comes free.
The cow is not being paid for giving milk. The soil does not ask anything in return to grow crops. The sea does not ask for anything for the fishes and other catches it gives. The sun for heat, the air for breathing, the rivers and clouds for water are not asking for any wages.
Subroto says that we are all living in an increasing materialist world, and the people are given importance on how much bank balance one has, the value of their cars, watches, and their dresses. He will be judged based on whether he is capable of buying costly things. He cannot always question the world because it is not about a single person, but he wants to understand how the most important things to survive comes free.
The cow is not being paid for giving milk. The soil does not ask anything in return to grow crops. The sea does not ask for anything for the fishes and other catches it gives. The sun for heat, the air for breathing, the rivers and clouds for water are not asking for any wages.
Please teach me the importance of silence, and also to raise the voice when something is wrong to protect the truth.
In this world, everything is noisy from morning till late at night. He just wants to be quiet and let his success speak for him. He wants to be taught the power of silence because when someone is silent, they can hear their inner voice and make wise decisions. He wants to be taught, without screaming how to make an impact on this world. He also says not to be silent always he requests to teach when to raise the voice, especially if keeping quiet will ruin someone's life.
Finally, he says teach to view things properly.
He says whichever country you belong to hunger, poverty, and disease have no nationality, and they need only your empathy. For hundreds of years instead of being together we have created barriers among ourselves based on religion, racial discrimination whether someone is dark-skinned or white-skinned and we have made boundaries with wires with current flowing and soldiers holding guns. He wanted the teachers to teach how to love every human being irrespective of their caste, colour, religion, nation and want to create a better future.
He says to teach them how to acknowledge the range of different things and the languages being spoken. He wants a world where he don't want to be a foreigner to anyone, and anyone won't be a foreigner to him, and he wants the word foreign or foreigner to be removed from our vocabulary. He concluded the speech with all these words. He wished good luck to the teachers and said their future should be as bright as a thousand suns.
He says whichever country you belong to hunger, poverty, and disease have no nationality, and they need only your empathy. For hundreds of years instead of being together we have created barriers among ourselves based on religion, racial discrimination whether someone is dark-skinned or white-skinned and we have made boundaries with wires with current flowing and soldiers holding guns. He wanted the teachers to teach how to love every human being irrespective of their caste, colour, religion, nation and want to create a better future.
He says to teach them how to acknowledge the range of different things and the languages being spoken. He wants a world where he don't want to be a foreigner to anyone, and anyone won't be a foreigner to him, and he wants the word foreign or foreigner to be removed from our vocabulary. He concluded the speech with all these words. He wished good luck to the teachers and said their future should be as bright as a thousand suns.
Reference:
Picture credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Subroto_Bagchi#/media/File:Subroto_Bagchi_in_his_office.jpg.
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