Mujeeb Jaihoon addressing students of Nilgiri College of Arts & Science

Names. Places. Pinch of Wisdom

I find it a fascinating hobby to study the etymology of the places I visit. One can easily pick up a pinch or two of wisdom with very less effort.

Nilgiri, or the land of blue mountains, is a masterpiece of the Absolute Architect. With borders from three states of India, this mountainous land, though only of modest population, is a melting pot of several dresses, dishes and deities- 3 favorite Ds that arouse travel lovers.

Imagination and Education

Imagination and Education are chicken and egg for one another. One inspires, invigorates and incubates the other. And from where else would one find as much fodder for imagination as from our dear mother Nature?

Education is intimately a Nature-affair. Imagine the fate of our science textbooks, had the founding fathers not spent time with Nature and simply sat in the closed laboratories? How would we understand law of gravity had our beloved physicist not sat under that apple tree?

The Mountains, for example, play a huge role in prevention of earthquakes. They function as ‘nails’, to use a Quranic metaphor. Mountains should be a source of inspiration for you. One should be able to relate their subject to natural phenomenon in order to strengthen its relevance in daily life. The poverty of modern students is the inability to relate their textbook theories to natural realities.

The Two Surrogate Ts

The two Surrogate Ts, Textbooks and Technology, cannot replace the centrality of a student’s intimacy with Nature. Therefore, to study in a Nature-nourished campus is indeed a blessing one can cherish for the rest of life. If it has to be Education, it has got to be Nature-compliant.

3 Es of Education

There are three Es which constitute Education.

Etiquette. The first and foremost is manners. Greater the education, higher shall become their etiquette. It is not just for language, but our social interaction too which are determined by a syntax.

Energy. Learners should be storehouses of energy which will help to create efficiency. An author cum journalist when asked how did he manage to write his latest book, he responded saying for past 14 months he would wake up at 5am and write until 7am, before his news anchoring would commence.

Enlighten. Education is not for the selfish souls. It also involves enlightening others with the same knowledge that you possess.

Highlights from Mujeeb Jaihoon’s talk at Nilgiri Arts & Science College, Thaloor, The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, on Oct 19, 2017