Be a bird not a tree

It was the beginning of the 1960s. Computers and Information Technology were unheard of. As students pursuing higher studies we went from one teacher to another seeking knowledge. The question of finding a job was not uppermost in our minds. Although there were jobs, youngesters were not keen to work at an early age.

It was at such a time we were introduced to one Mr. S. who used to conduct English literature and Western Classical Culture classes for A/Levels and B. A. The charges were relatively moderate so we decided to join his weekend classes conducted in a leading Buddhist school in the city.

I still remember my first encounter with Mr. S. who walked into the class carrying a Thermos flask and a packet of cigarettes.

Bespectacled, clean-shaven and of medium built he reminded me of Goldsmith's "Village Schoolmaster."

According to the time table, he was expected to teach "Macbeth." Keeping the text book in his lap Mr. S. started talking about Don Quixote, Plato, Aristotle, Aristophanes and D. H. Lawrence with such burning enthusiasm that we entirely forgot about Shakespeare!

We were at once transported to a world of literature. With our imagination flared up we began to penetrate literature with understanding, sympathy and feeling.

All of us were charmed by his teaching methods. Next day when we attended the class, he was already there puffing a cigarette and sipping a cup of plain tea.

He said he was going to do Ovid. At the very beginning Mr. S. said he was not happy with Ovid because he had too much taste, virility and humour. However, when he started teaching Ovid one word or phrase was enough for him to jump the track. He would seize a word or phrase, explain its beauty and then traverse whole continents of literature in search of cognate beauties. We listened to him with rapt attention for hours.

I have yet to come across a teacher who could quote from Shakespeare, T. S. Eliot, Thomas Hardy, D. H. Lawrence, Plato and even the Buddha while teaching literature. Sometimes he cried like a child and at other times dramatised what he taught.

To be frank, at that time we did not understand everything he said. But we were urged to read many of the books he recommended.Between constant cups of plain tea and chain smoking, Mr. S. scattered valuable literary gems all the time.

Some of my colleagues who were armed with note papers and pens could not take down anything. If you tried to write anything down while he was teaching, he would pause for a moment and say: "What are you taking down? I'm not here to give you facts and figures. Literature has no boundaries. If you want to understand it you will have to read extensively."

He was different from other teachers who dictated notes full of facts. He never gave us notes but ideas! He made all of us to sit back and think. We were not expected to possess a kind of book knowledge. He wanted us to interpret whatever we learnt.

How many times had he told us that our brains were power houses and not cold-storage chambers.

Luckily for us, he caught us at an age of blossoming youth. It must be said he was not against other subjects. One day a science student joined the class to do literature. He looked hard at the new entrant and said, "you can do chemistry, biology or zoology for your exam.

But remember to have at least a nodding acquaintance of literature and arts." This particular student who is now a leading chemist one day confided in me that Mr. S. fired his imagination and he started reading great authors while doing his science studies.

What other subject can teach us humanity and the essence of beauty than literature? Many students who pursue their studies in law, accountancy, Information Technology and medicine have reservations about literature. They would ask why study literature.

You should not expect only entertainment from literature. No doubt, literature is entertaining most of the time. However, there may be times that you may find literature rather disturbing.

For instance, when I read "Anna Karenina" a few decades ago, it disturbed my thought processes more than any other novel. Then why should we read world literature?

According to a celebrated critic literature provides you with some avenue of escape from the brutalities of the real world. True. In literary works, men are often heroes, and women are perfect beauties. And literature offers love in a divine casket. But you should not expect such pleasures all the time.

Whether you agree or not, you read literature for successful living. If you do not read literary works you are like a tree rooted to the ground. You will not know what lies beyond the hills and dales. By reading world literature you become a kind of bird that could fly above his environmental boundaries. A bird can move at will and sense the wind. It can meet new people and situations almost daily. It will be more equipped than a tree to grapple with life's endless problems.

To put it more succinctly, literature helps us to heighten our awareness of life and it exposes us to great men of more penetration, more sympathy and more reverence than we are.

The easiest way to become a bird than a tree is to read English literature and Western Classical Culture extensively. It is the only way to satisfy our mysterious impulse that propels us to become ourselves. However, the process of becoming yourself is hard and painful. It involves meeting the inner and outer challenges constantly.

Although some rationalists may not agree, the world is full of miracles. The Buddha's birth was miraculous. When he was born, musical instruments began to be played without being touched. Similar miracles are associated with the birth of Jesus Christ. Only a person who has gone beyond his limited boundaries can appreciate the value and impact of such events.

When once you become a bird, you will discover new light and new hope.