TO BE A STUDENT
Old age is not the name of an old body; it is the name of an old mind. Youth is not the name of a bright and beautiful body; it is the name of lively hopes and dreams. Youth is a time for enthusiasm, a time forging ahead, a time for facing difficulties, a time gaining confidence.
Youth does not last forever, but can be a student forever. To be a student, means thirst for learning and knowledge. There is no special age for learning. You can learn all your life. If you keep your mind open, the doors of knowledge are always open.
Henry Spellman began his study of science at the age of sixty. Scott started studying literature at the age of forty. Gandhiji, towards the end of his life, managed to squeeze out a little time to learn a new language. It is never too late to start learning something.
This is the age of expanding knowledge. You are at that crucial point in your life when it is usual for you to be a student. This is your student life. This is the time that will shape your future. This is the time that will make you. The wooden chair on which you sit has immense power – it can make you a prince or a pauper. These same wooden benches gave birth to Gandhi and a Nehru, and also to Einstein, Jagdish Chandra Bose and C.V. Raman.
Every single moment of your life is vital to your future. If you want to be truly learned, there is little for mere pleasures. If you want only the pleasures of life, there is no room for learning.
The Goddess of learning is indifferent to wealth. She goes to fields and granaries, to huts and palaces alike. She roams everywhere. The moment She beads of perspiration on the forehead of any student, She bestows success upon him.
Children, this is not the time to sleep away the days. This is the time of awakening. Lazing in bed will not make your future. Sometimes there may be failures and disappointments. On account of these petty pitfalls a student becomes disgusted. But you must learn from great men and women the act of perseverance until you succeed. Like some of you, a small Vietnamese boy once ran away from home because he had failed in his examination. As he was going, he heard a Buddhist monk singing a song. The words were – Why does water never get dirty? Because it flows. Why does water never decay? Because it flows. Drops of water make the waterfall, the waterfall becomes a river, the river becomes a sea and the sea becomes an ocean. How? Because it flows. Let my life never stop. Let it flow, let it flow.
The boy listened. The boy understood. He learned. He turned back and went home. Do you know, he grew up to become the President of Vietnam. His name was Ho Chi Minh.
Bulwar Lytton is a well-known personality in English literature. He wrote many poems and books before he became famous. But he did not stop writing just because in the beginning, nobody would listen to him.
You know that slow and steady wins the race. With hard work and luck you can run the race of life with success. In every field of life and activity, learning will give great assistance. You only need to be hardworking and persevering.
But remember, your life is made also on the playground . Your mind as well as your body must develop. Only then can your education be complete. It is only on the playing fields that you imbibe the qualities of sportsmanship. Playing games teaches you to be magnanimous, loyal, united, obedient and fearless. These are very important in life.
So, apart from mathematical problems, history dates and formulae, make room for your healthy body as well. Go to the playground. The outdoor life is very important. You must know the jungles, the farms, the granaries just as well as your books. Climb mountains, cross rivers, suffer bruises from playing football and hockey, hang from trees, fall off a horse – only then will your education be meaningful.
This is the time to correct your faults. This is the time to turn your back on bad habits. This is the time for action. Act here and now.
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