To discipline means to teach, not to punish :
The famous poet Tagore, who was a prolific composer with 2,230 songs to his credit, began his climb to fame and his lifetime journey into the annals of Asian history, as a mere lad of eight when he penned his first poem. From there he graduated to short stories and dramas, which contributed to his international acclaim. This was confirmed in 1913 when his masterpiece Gitanjali won the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature.
Among the countless words he wrote and the wisdom he expressed therein the eight words are still alive and known to the most school pupils today, although over a century later, are: “To discipline means to teach, not to punish”.
Tagore abhorred corporal punishment. Not only in the horrific act unlawful and morally wrong, but deplorable and grossly insulting to the great man that his teaching should be beaten-in to children through corporal punishment at schools. He would never condone it. If only some parents and some ‘teachers’ in schools and madrasas were to learn that single lesson taught by Tagore over 100-year ago, Bangladesh society would profit enormously.
Verbal, musical, song and dance tributes to the Nobel Laureate and one of Bangladesh’s most esteemed and honoured sons of the soil, are all good, appropriate and have their place, but their lifespan is considerably short.
The best way to honour the Poet is to follow his teaching philosophy, ‘to discipline means to teach, not to punish’. Unfortunately, our teachers are yet to learn the underlying meanings of the Tagore’s lines.
Sir Frank Peters
Dhaka
The famous poet Tagore, who was a prolific composer with 2,230 songs to his credit, began his climb to fame and his lifetime journey into the annals of Asian history, as a mere lad of eight when he penned his first poem. From there he graduated to short stories and dramas, which contributed to his international acclaim. This was confirmed in 1913 when his masterpiece Gitanjali won the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature.
Among the countless words he wrote and the wisdom he expressed therein the eight words are still alive and known to the most school pupils today, although over a century later, are: “To discipline means to teach, not to punish”.
Tagore abhorred corporal punishment. Not only in the horrific act unlawful and morally wrong, but deplorable and grossly insulting to the great man that his teaching should be beaten-in to children through corporal punishment at schools. He would never condone it. If only some parents and some ‘teachers’ in schools and madrasas were to learn that single lesson taught by Tagore over 100-year ago, Bangladesh society would profit enormously.
Verbal, musical, song and dance tributes to the Nobel Laureate and one of Bangladesh’s most esteemed and honoured sons of the soil, are all good, appropriate and have their place, but their lifespan is considerably short.
The best way to honour the Poet is to follow his teaching philosophy, ‘to discipline means to teach, not to punish’. Unfortunately, our teachers are yet to learn the underlying meanings of the Tagore’s lines.
Sir Frank Peters
Dhaka
