Of Gurus and Ustaads

The other day I watched a recording of an old programme on DD Bharati, featuring Prakash Kaur, a noted Punjabi singer and the elder sister of Surinder Kaur , another singing genius . The singer, when asked about the first remuneration she received as a professional singer, told that it was an amount of Rs. Five and she had given this to her Ustaad as an offering. The Ustaad , obviously moved by this honour , in his turn , told every body about this .

Years ago, while in school, I read a book – The Untold Story – by Lt.Gen. B .M . Kaul, in which , he had showered praise and expressed his gratitude to one of his teachers- himself making both ends meet with difficulty - for giving him a hundred rupee note, signed by him , wishing him good luck. .

Both these incidents present Gurus or teachers or Ustaads in full glow and glory.

In sharp contrast, is the incident of Eklavya , whom Dronacharya had refused to take as a disciple and , who by dint of sheer grit and determination himself practised and mastered archery , keeping alongside a small statue of Dronacharya , made of straw treating and revering it as a Guru.

It is common knowledge that seeing in Eklavya , a possible threat to number one position that his favourite disciple Arjun enjoyed in archery, Dronacharya had demanded Eklavya’s thumb as guru dakshina and the latter had obliged . Again the same Dronacharya , taking sides with the Kauravas had fought against the Pandavas , in the Mahabharat war.