DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COACH AND GURU/ TEACHER?

This post is dedicated to my Kalaripayattu Guruji - Guru Murugan as this difference was cleared by him.

Almost an year back from now, I was having a discussion with Guruji at his Marma treatment center in Mayur Vihar- III. Discussing on few issues, Guruji started discussing about this difference.

As per my Guruji,

"Guru/Teacher is one who develops his students in a field in which he/she can excel. He keeps watching his student's special abilities and help him more in that area so that student specializes in that area more as every student is special in some thing or the other.

But Coaches have a syllabus to finish. They are not much concerned about whether he/she can help his student develop in particular area in which he/she specializes. They will be focused more on completing the syllabus so that they can justify their Job. Actually Coach teaches just for his/her job/business and in return earning for the same, while Guru teaches for actually improving his student. "

Do remember earning for living is a necessity of today's life which every student must take care of but Guru's teaching is not dependent just on the fees. In other words, Money cannot buy knowledge from Guru. Even if one can afford to give huge money to a Guru, this does not mean Guru will teach him in return for that. Knowledge can only be gained by pure heart and devotion to Guru.

GURU meaning:

To explain the meaning of Guru so that you can easily differentiate between coach and Guru, I would like to bring one statement of Kabir Das ji.

Doha...

Gu Andhiyari Janiye Ru Kahiye Parkash

Mite Agyan tab Gyan te, Guru Naam k Taas

Explanation of above Doha..

Guru is a Sanskrit term which is a combination of two words "Gu + Ru". Gu means Darkness/ Ignorance, Ru means Light/ Knowledge. So Guru is one who takes his disciples/ students from ignorance towards knowledge which Guru has gained. In other words, student becomes knowledgeable under the Guidance of able Guru.

In my early journey of Martial arts, i thought everyone who teaches us or helps us in gaining knowledge is a teacher/ Guru. But then I ended up with getting betrayed by them, disheartened and frustrated by their ignorant attitude towards others and life. This frustration came as I simply considered myself a student of them and wanted to learn a lot from them but afterwards I saw them to be not following a real Martial artist path. But now I know this difference. 

One must learn from everyone whether below his level or above his level, from small as well as big, from a child as well as from a teacher but everyone is not a Guru/ Teacher. Some are helpers, some are Coaches/ Tutors and rare of the rare is a Guru who holds a very special place in Student's heart. Guru is really a one who takes his student from ignorance towards Knowledge and make his student as himself.

But hey not to forget everyone whether Coach, Tutor, Helper, everyone needs to be respected as they have helped you in gaining something or the other but still teacher is special of all.

Namaste

Ranjit Mishra

Martial Warriors Academy

www.martialart-warriors.in

Email- ranjitmishramartialarts@gmail.com

Sardar....12 Baje and the Martial arts relation

If you are laughing at the posts headline and thinking that this blog will be a joke, then please take your teeth inside your mouth because this posts will tell you the truth that you never know.

Many of you (and not me) makes fun of Sikhs for 12 o'clock by saying Sardaar k 12 Baj gae. But have you ever thought how this 12 o'clock concept came. Because I know if you ever knew the story behind this, then you would have felt proud of your Sikh Brother. I felt too when I came to know about this story few years back and it sent shivers inside me as many times I read this story. But still I never cracked this joke on them as I was a Martial artist before reading this story too and Martial artist never crack jokes on anyone for letting anyone feel down.

To understand the joke, we have to go back to the time of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru of Sikhs. During 17th Century, when India was ruled by Mughals, Hindus including other religion were humiliated and deprived of any right to conduct their religious practices. Mughals treated the Hindu women as their own property and were forcing all Hindus to accept Islam and even used to kill the people if they refused to accept.

Guru Tegh Bahadur ji:

During that time, Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, came forward, in response to a by request some Kashmir Pandits (Hindu Priests) to fight against all these cruel activities. Guru Ji told the Mughal emperor that if he could succeed in converting him to Islam, all the Hindus would accept the same.

But, if he failed to do so, he should stop all of his oppression. The Mughal emperor happily agreed to the challenge and invited Guru Ji to Delhi. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji was tortured for five days, he was made to sit on hot iron plates, and thrown into a cauldron of boiling water. 

Right in front of Guru Ji, his companion Bhai Mati Dass was sawed in two and Bhai Sati Dass was wrapped in cotton, and hot oil was poured on his body and set on fire. 

Guru Ji was boiled in hot water and subjected to many more tortures in the hope that he would cave in and accept Islam. Guru Ji however did not even scream once, he was a true devotee of God and had been meditation on God for decades. 

                                      This is a power and beauty of meditation

After extreme tortures when Aurengzeb failed to convert Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji to Islam, he beheaded the Guruji in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Thus Guru Ji sacrificed his life for the protection of Hindu religion. Can anybody lay down his life and that too for the protection of another religion? This is the reason he is still remembered as "Hind Ki Chaddar", Shield of India. For the sake of whom he had sacrificed his life, none of the them came forward to lift his body, fearing that they would also be assassinated.

Guru Gobind Singh Ji:

Seeing this incident the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji made a resolution that he would convert his followers to such human beings who would not only be the devotees of God but in order to protect their religion and the right of worship for others they would be warriors as well. (This is what a real Martial arts warrior are like. When devotion and the Warrior spirit is combined into one person, real Martial artists are born).

Here I would like to bring one of the proverb of Guru Gobind Singh ji:

Chirion se main baaz turaun, Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun

It is when I make sparrows fight hawks that I am called Gobind Singh

Gidderon se main sher banaun, Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun

It is when make I lions out of wolves that I am called Gobind Singh

Nichon se main ucch banaun, Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun

It is when I make the lowly rise that I am called Gobind Singh

Sawa lakh se ek laraun, Tabe Gobind Singh naam kahaun.

It is when I make one fight a hundred thousand that I am called Gobind Singh)

"Oh My God, iam filled with fearlessness, boldness whenevner i read this. Each time I have Goosebumps i read this".

In 1739 Nadir Shah, King of Persia, crossed the frontier and swept down towards New Delhi, India. He was the first invader who was here only to plunder and kill, with no intention of staying. His troops reached Delhi, where they killed 150,000 people, both Hindus and Sikhs. He looted India and was carrying lot of Indian treasures and nearly 2200 Hindu women along with him. The news spread like fire and was heard by Sardar Jassa Singh who was the Commander of the Sikh army at that time. Sikhs were very few in numbers while the army of Mughals was in hundreds of thousands. Sardar Jassa Singh decided to attack Nadir Shah's army at midnight. He did so and rescued all the Hindu women and they were safely sent back to their homes. It didn't happen only once but thereafter whenever any army from Afghanistan or Iran attacked and looted an Indian city and were trying to carry the treasures and women in order to sell them in Arab markets, the Sikh army although fewer in numbers but brave hearted attacked them at midnight, 12 O'clock, and rescued the women along with the treasure.

Whenever there was a similar incident, people started to contact the Sikh army for their help and Sikhs used to attack the raiders at midnight, 12 O'clock. Sikhs did so because they were fewer in number and could use the darkness to their advantage. It continued and became a known fact that at midnight, nearly at 12 O'clock, it is very difficult to fight against Sikhs as the Sikhs mastered the art of fighting at night. 

(Just think about what kind of art of fighting this can be...!!! Will tell you about this style of Martial arts in last of my posts)

Thus the 12 o'clock joke was born. Initially, instead of being grateful for their heroism, some people would say that the Sikhs are in their senses only at night. Today people say that they get mad at midnight.

Just think about the women's would have been facing if Sikhs would not had been there. Also every Sikhs should be proud of the 12 o'clock incident instead of getting annoyed. It is just because of them the dignity of India was restored after Nadir Shah's invasion; one of the most terrible act of war ever to be perpetrated in India.

So what do you think now. Sardaar k baarah Baj gae ya aapke baarah baj gae....!!!

Reference taken from below links:

1) http://www.realsikhism.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1248986373&ucat=5

2) https://www.scoopwhoop.com/story-behind-sardars-12-o-clock-joke/#.zrfqy5m19

3) Images taken from Google Images. I do not have any copyrights on images in this blog.

Relation with the Martial arts:

I think you must have got a little bit how this is related to Martial arts. Any ordinary person without Martial arts background cannot fight such a long army. 

So it was the Martial skills and Martial spirit of Guru Gobind Singh ji, Sardar Jassa Singh ji and all the Sardars and Guruji's who were part of these war that led them to fight against Mughals.

It was Martial skills of them that made them humble towards other religion people.

It was Martial skills of them that led them to help weaker people.

It was Martial skills of them that led them to bear extreme tortures.

It was Martial Skills of them that made them fearless and immortal. Yes immortal as they are still not dead. They are in every Sardar's heart. They are in every followers spirit including me.

Martial arts style of these Warriors:

It has been said/known from very long time that Sardar's Martial arts style has been Gatka. One of the Martial arts expert Guru Nidar Singh ji claims that "SANATAN SHASTAR VIDYA" is the actual style of Martial arts that they knew. Gatka is the show off or flowerly style of this Vidya.

Being from Martial arts background from very long time, I can easily say that Sanatan Shastar Vidya seems more practical style to me than Gatka. In history lot of Indian Martial arts style has exchanged ideas with each other style by practicing with each other. In few places Sanatan Shastra Vidya looks similar to Kalaripayattu. I can make out this similarity as I am practicing Kalaripayattu from very long time.

Sardar ji, we are proud of you....

Thanks for reading..

Namaste... Satsriakaal...

Ranjit Mishra

Martial Warriors Academy

www.martialart-warriors.in

Email- ranjitmishramartialarts@gmail.com