Guru – a manifestation of God

We receive our first bearings from our family elders – mainly parents and grandparents. Are they our gurus? When we go to school, our teachers become our idols. As modern day schools are slightly different from Gurukuls or madarsas that are supposed to provide more holistic education, schools being more a modern day concept, for our teacher gurus, we in any case have a dedicated teacher’s day. When we turn professionals, we learn the tricks of the trade from so many – our juniors, contemporaries, seniors, bosses – and in the process, idolise and adore a few. Are these all our gurus. Then there are actual gurus, godmen, to whom some of us go for blessings, enlightenment, progress et al.

The above thought came to mind when on my WhatsApp, I received Guru Purnima wishes from an erstwhile colleague. All through I have known him and several others too, to be extremely respectful to me, but to be treated like a Guru is the most humbling feeling. Towards the end, this is one’s true earning – love, respect, adoration, remembrance- from one’s erstwhile colleagues, long after one has demitted the position of power. Rest everything else is material – a must and a source of comfortable existence, but not part of life’s lasting achievement. 

To sum up, all those from whom we learn and imbibe something, who treated us well and made our professional journey comfortable and memorable and who helped us in evolving as better humans are our Gurus. The modern day bosses and managers can certainly practice a bit of this as a larger purpose and objective, what we all are exhorted to by management books and programmes.