Dr. Ashok Patel Are prayers sung in schools the way they were sung a few years ago? Are there differences in school prayer programs between urban and rural areas? Is the work of Sanskar Sanchanan among children today decreasing at the school level? Let us recall the prayers sung in school some years ago. Poet Dalpatram's son Nhanalal composed 'Asatyo Manhethi Prabhu! Param Satye Tu Lemi Ja' then also Vinoba Bhave's composition 'Om Tat Sat Sri Narayan Tu', Gurudev Chitrabhanuji's composition 'Holy Spring of Friendship', Narasimharao Divetia's prayer for the death of his son 'Mangal Mandir Kholo Dayamaya', Muni Agastya's Saraswati Vandana'. Ya Kundendutusharahar Dhavla', Narsingh Mehta's work 'Vaishnavajan To Aye Re Kahe', Poet Karsandas Manek's work 'Jeevan Anjali Thajo Marun' etc. Also, the prayer 'Itni Shakti Hame Dena Data' written by Kavishree Abhilash (original name Omprakash) for the 1985 film Ankush was soon sung in schools and colleges. Lakshmanacharya composed the Ramdhun 'Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram' in Hindi which was beloved by Gandhiji. So Jayantilal Acharya's composition 'Mandir Taru Vishva Rupalo' was also a popular prayer. Also the famous prayers 'Naiya Jukavi Mein To Joje Dubi Jaye Na', and 'O God Bless You, Your Name Is Big' etc. If one hears the prayers sung by the group in prayer meeting during school time on TV or radio, then the old days will be remembered indelibly. At that time, the meaning of prayer was not known much, but it was fun to sing. If the students chant the prayer after understanding the meaning, the purpose of singing the prayer or praying will be more meaningful. There is a lot of difference between the prayers used in schools in the past and the prayers used today. The divinity and magnificence of congregational prayer outside the classroom, in the open school grounds, is different. Today, most schools in the city do not have grounds where congregational prayers are held. Some schools have grounds, so they are not interested in prayer programs. As a result, they seem to be doing it for the sake of praying. Most of the prayer today takes place in the classroom. In the prayer meeting held in the field, students present news, story, song, gospel etc. in addition to prayer. By doing this, students learn to express themselves in a group, avoiding shyness. A prayer program in schools not only removes stage fright in children, but also plays an important role in developing values. Values are developed in children more through prayer meetings than through cognitive education imparted in the classroom. Inculcation of culture and values in children should be done at home as much as at school. Home or society contributes a lot to the vices that come in children. The effect of which is then seen in the student's behavior in school. A child absorbs by hearing or seeing quarrels at home or in society, lies told, shortcuts taken to take advantage, use of profanity etc. Then, if the school works alone to inculcate morals and values in the children, the desired result will not be achieved. Another important thing is that the home and the society also have to fulfill their role in the true sense. This is because children should get good examples from home. For this the parent should sit with the child and have various discussions. Apart from this, from time to time the parent should tell the child about his good school experiences. Today, every parent should ask their child, how many movie songs do they know and how many prayers do they know? Why? Many people today must be remembering the prayers during school hours. You will also take joy and pride in remembering. Then one feels like asking, will today's students be able to get such joy and pride in the future? Ashoka : The longer a child stays in school, the more positive his development will be. There is home and society for the rest of the negative development!
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
On the Edge of Education: Will Those Days of School Sung Prayers Return?
