Teachers must have a discerning eye: President Kovind
Haridwar, Nov 3 : President Ram Nath Kovind said on Saturday that teachers can play a pivotal role in bringing about a qualitative change in higher education by discerning the special abilities of students and bringing out the best in them.
Inaugurating a two-day conference called 'Gyankumbh' at Patanjali Yogpeeth here, the president said the discerning eye of a teacher plays a big role in the growth of a student.
"So you must be sensitive towards your students and ensure that their merit does not go unnoticed because of their poverty or some other handicap," he said.
Noting that history was full of examples where teachers honed the skills of their disciples to help them rise to eminent positions, the president cited the example of Chanakya who recognised the talent of Chandragupta who came from a humble background and made him one of the most illustrious kings of ancient India.
"Every child is born with certain special ability. It is the teacher's responsibility to recognise that ability and bring the best out of him," he said.
Citing the example of a Brahmin teacher who mentored a lowly born boy called Bhim Rao after recognising his talent and gave him his surname Ambedkar after the completion of his studies, Kovind said if that teacher had not come into the life of Dr Ambedkar, the country would have been deprived of the services of a Bharat Ratna.
"Even former president APJ Abdul Kalam began dreaming of becoming a rocket scientist after he along with a group of his classmates was taken to the seaside by a teacher who taught them about the flight of birds," the president said and hoped that deliberations at the event will throw up ideas to revolutionise higher education in the country.
The president also underlined the need to establish a higher education system which put equal emphasis on imparting knowledge to students and inculcating upon them a keen sense of values.
Kovind also remembered Madan Mohan Malviya for his dedicated efforts to establish a centre of higher learning like the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and asked teachers to be inspired by his missionary zeal.
The inaugural session was attended by Governor Baby Rani Maurya, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and head of Patanjali Yogpeeth Ramdev.
Showering praise on Ramdev for taking yoga to every household both nationally and internationally, the president said the ancient Indian discipline of mental and physical well being could not have found its way into the daily lives of people without the yoga guru.
Academicians and educationists from all over the country are participating in the event which will conclude on Sunday.
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Ahmedabad plane crash: Six months on, college hostel lies in ruins, sans bustle of students
Ahmedabad (PTI): Six months after the AI-171 plane crash, the B J Medical College hostel complex in Ahmedabad stands as a haunting reminder, with its charred walls and burnt trees replacing the once lively chatter of students with an eerie stillness.
Scattered across the crash site are grim remnants of daily life - burnt cars and motorcycles, twisted beds and furniture, charred books, clothes and personal belongings.
The Atulyam-4 hostel building and the adjoining canteen complex stand abandoned, with entry strictly prohibited.
For residents near the site, memories of the incident still linger, casting a lasting shadow on their lives, with some of them saying they are still afraid to look up at the sky when an aircraft passes overhead.
On June 12, Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed moments after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 persons.
The aircraft slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Meghaninagar, turning a lively student neighbourhood into a landscape of ruin and grief.
"The area now lies very silent, only a few birds chirp here," Sanjaybhai, a security guard deployed at the premises by authorities to prevent trespassing, told PTI.
Mahendrasingh Jadeja, a general store owner whose shop is just 50 metres from the point where the aircraft struck, described it as an unimaginable calamity. "In all my years, I have never seen anything like this."
Pointing to a tree behind his shop, the 60-year-old said the aircraft first struck there before crashing into the hostel building.
"It was a scorching summer afternoon. Not many people were outside. When I heard a loud crashing sound, I ran out of my shop. We were all terrified," he recalled.
"Even today, we instinctively look up whenever a plane passes overhead," he added.
Another local, Manubhai Rajput, who lives barely 200 metres from the site, said he witnessed the horror unfold on June 12.
"The plane was flying unusually low. Before I could understand what was happening, there was thick black smoke and a deafening crash," he said.
For over three decades, Rajput and his neighbours lived close to the airport without giving much thought to the aircraft overhead.
"We never looked up at the sky. But that day is etched in my mind. The plane hit a tree first, and then there was a loud sound," he said.
Rajput recalled how hundreds of locals rushed to the site even before police, fire services or the Army arrived.
Tinaben, another resident of Meghaninagar, said she never imagined something like this could happen in Ahmedabad.
"Despite being close to the airport, this area always felt safe," she said.
As an aircraft roared overhead during the conversation, Tinaben paused, looked up nervously and said, "It's still scary."
A senior official of Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the state government has yet to decide what to do with the damaged site.
Currently, investigations are going on and the site is strictly prohibited for people, he added.
