Silvester D''Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SP)
Kundapur, Sep 5: "Teachers should always aim at inspiring their students to engage in art and cultural activities, as these interests shape their personalities. When teachers are creative, the college automatically becomes dynamic," felt distinguished authority on political science and theatre personality, Dr Jayaprakash Mavinakuli.
Dr Mavinakuli, who does not forget to repeat the words of Swami Vivekananda that free service should never be expected in any field, had served a number of degree colleges in the capacity of lecturer and principal for 34 years. Even though he retired from service three years ago, he worked as the principal of S R Shettar College in Guledagudda, Bagalkot district, for two years thereafter, before taking up the post of the principal of the PU college section of Gurukul Public School here during this academic year.
Mavinakuli, who is a noted theatre personality, writer and columnist, recollects that education had not been monotonous and driven by one-sided thrust as at present, till a few decades back. ''For those leaning towards extra curricular activities, the environment was such that they could follow their interests and develop their personality in that line as the system of education was supportive of literary and other activities. But changed system of education, parents who are driven by the single-minded zeal towards turning their wards into money-making machines, and result-oriented educational institutions, at present, are laying emphasis on one-sided growth where competing with others drives them, not the development of personalities and preparing the youngsters for the life ahead. This is one of the biggest tragedies of our times,'' he rued.
For Dr Jayaprakash Mavinakuli, who has directed over 20 theatre performances in his professional life, his experimental theatrical creations, ''Abhiyana'' and ''Akbar'', have remained more close to his heart. He was the first to get girl students to don female roles in his plays in this region, and this experiment paved way for a big movement in theatre. This experiment started by him helped in doing away with the notion of untouchability and void that was in vogue between girls and boys, to a large extent.
"In the present scenario, we see that the per-university students encounter problems which are not faced at either the high school or degree level. As a result, the students are seen single-mindedly and seriously following the curriculum-centric study for securing specific employment opportunities in future. They find it hard and challenging to get involved with extra curricular activities because of a number of examinations like common entrance test (CET), graduate aptitude test in engineering (GATE) etc at this stage," he explains.
He called upon the student community, educational institutions, teachers and departments concerned to conduct in-depth study into why high pay scales offered by software companies many a time result in psychological disorders which sometimes drive the youth co commit suicide and do such other crazy things. His strong opinion is that education should never be a passport to secure gainful employment, and that real education should aim at achieving overall personality development of the students.
Mavinakuli has words of praise for Daijiworld. "I accidentally stumbled upon Daijiworld when I went to attend a programme in Dubai. A number of my friends and past students had come to see me after coming to know of my visit through Daijiworld. That incident made me aware the influence cast upon the populace by a media network like Daijiworld. Now I am aware that Daijiworld is a website that has been very popular," he added.