Eklavya is known to us in a very honest manner. He is an epitome of You Create YourSelf! There are no questions about his 'ethics or deeds' in comparison to the other legendary characters in the epic Mahabharata. He does stand in contrast to Arjuna, but we forget him once the story moves away to bloodshed.
Why Eklavya was brought in the epic of Righteousness? Wasn't it possible to establish a moral of Discipline, Dedication and Daring with Arjuna and other heroes of the age? We know Eklavya had something in him which still remains ideal to all of us: THE SENSE of LEARNING! The Sense of Dedication and Courage that was impeccable!
This website, platform, vision and all efforts are based on the same current of pure learning. It is a Celebration of Eklavya- the Learner. By adopting his name, I am intended to make it clear to my own mind that there will be no going back. EklavyaParv- The Celebration of Eklavya, does not hail him as some supreme being who fought-killed-won in some war. The Learner is revered and is the motivation behind this Life Long Learning mission.
EklavyaParv celebrates those who step ahead and LEARN! Because Learning is the Decision of the Learner!
You Create Yourself!
Eklavya inspires me. He does inspire all of us when we see him only as a disciple who wanted to learn and master a skill. We need to see him only as a dedicated and passionate learner, not as the deprived one.
He earns our appreciation for his determination, critical thinking and holistic approach towards life. We see him as someone who was at peace with himself. His ‘Happy with Himself’ is the current of his successful journey to learning. EklavyaParv is the Parv to Celebrate the Great Eklavya not as a character but as an ideology or approach to life and learning. This Parv – the Carnival – of Learning is what Eklavya encourages. He fills us with a unique sense of pride and confidence in ourselves. Eklavya seems to say: Do Your Work; after all, that is what matters the most! He respects, follows and performs as well. We don’t have his war heroism stories in popular trends. He must have fought mythical battles and must have performed acts of bravery.
When we worship someone and celebrate His Being, the reason is that we have surrendered to the powers and benevolence. Eklavya is the same divine being whom we revere and see as an ideal in learning. When the call to make a platform came and I had to decide what shall be the name of that initiative. There were deliberations leading to an ocean of options and alternatives. Eklavyaism, which has been a life-belief and ideology for me, could establish the strongest bond.
The legends are not to be trusted unless they relate to our own lives. Unless they inspire and facilitate a better living, they are to be forgotten. Eklavya has been there and has been respected and believed, more for the act of sacrifice when his Guru asked for Dakshina. He is believed to be a True Student. That part of his life is an allegory of True Learning Life. We should see him through that lens of perseverance towards goal. His diligence has been unparalleled.
EklavyaParv is the bonhomie that I could develop between the challenges and commitments. Moving through the EdTech and EduSoMedia ways of Teaching-Learning, I felt that it is actually Eklavyaism that is being followed unknowingly by me and others. Those who can learn without setting caged in a classroom; those who can learn from their surroundings and people around; those who can derive learning from situations and circumstances of life; and those, who can learn even if the resources are limited, are the Eklavyas.
The advent of Skill Development, Professionalism, MOOCs, EduSoMedia and Tech Enabled Learning are all aspects of Eklavyaism and EklavyaParv. When we enterprise, we tend to be Eklavya. If you are learning and feel that all that you practice has not been learnt in a classroom, believe me, you have that Eklavya inside. He might be silent or less vocal. But that Eklavya resides in all of us.
Silently, he does what he has been doing in our legends and memories.
Let’s Live Him!
Learning is not a destination; it is a journey and We need to fall in love with the Journey, the Process of Learning which is equally rewarding!
