The ascension of Barack Obama into the hallway of the White House marked a watershed in the American and global polity. This feat was widely celebrated as a victory for the racial egalitarianism crusade, and brought to the fore the civil rights movements of the 60's and 70's. Unarguably the most prominent figure in this respect is the iconic martyr- Martin Luther King Jr. (fondly called MLK). Coming of age at a time when racial segregation was the thriving order and opportunity was systematically constricted, he feared nothing and risked everything for the cause of freedom. He led an army of justice to challenge the prevailing institutionalized prejudice; endured the pain of the persecutions and the prisons to right what was wrong.
Reflecting on this great giant of Human rights movement, I wondered - where did he find this courage? I do not know. But I do know that the challenges we face today require such measure of courage to save the future. The battle lines may have shifted and the barriers to equality may be new, but what is not new is the need for everyday valiant to imbibe the nature of MLK Jr. - a man, who though, was not a giant in stature, was a giant of compassion and courage. It is the courage that put collective civic dreams ahead of personal dreams; it is one that reminds us that even as each of us seek our dreams, the sum total of those dreams must be greater than ourselves; it is a courage whispering through the ages that even though we are responsible for ourselves, we also rise and fall as a people-the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.
In our present world, where it is only the promise of education that makes it possible for any child to transcend the barriers of race, class or background, ensuring that every child gets the best education possible is the new civil rights challenge. Regarding education, reading remains the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible; nothing is more basic, no ability more fundamental. And like Barack Obama proclaimed, ''the moment we persuade a child, any child, to cross that threshold into a library, we have changed their lives forever, and for the better.''
But we now live in a world where competition with other highly tempting by-products of technology stands as a challenge. Today, it is easier for a kid to rent a DVD or grab a joypad than pick up a book to read, and there is a rising culture that glorifies anti-intellectualism. Sadly, we find it so easy to get caught thinking that there are too many forces at work in our lives; forces beyond our control, shaping our destiny. Yes, government must lead in the provision of quality education; but we must also admit that government cannot turn off the television, ensure that a child does her homework, and eradicate the slanders that disparage meritocracy. And when I hear that some children just cannot learn, that we cannot do anything about crumbling schools and degenerating reading culture, I look back at the chances I had through teachers who instilled the belief in me that I could succeed, and the primary motivation I got from my parents who emphasized hard work and commitment as the sine qua non for excellence; and I tell myself: now is the time to remind ourselves of this moral obligation.
A picture that remains evergreen in my memory was that moment when a ten-year-old ran towards me with a burst of excitement, held out a storybook (which I gave him to read) and with a jubilant beam, declared: '' I just finished reading it''. It was a face suffused with a look of accomplishment and pride-and that's a hope we must nurture. As minuscule as such efforts may appear on the canvas of time, history has taught us that the world we live in is the sum total of that kind of courage, that spirit of progress. But I hold no illusion that one man can do it alone. Every parent, every teacher must embrace this noble cause, while the government must equally awake from the inaction and the perpetual tinkering around the edges of our education system.
Taking into account the eternally true premise that no educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers; there is an urgent imperative to raise the bar regarding the quality of Teachers instructing our children, else our educational institutions will continually churn out students who acquire certificate without knowledge. Teachers must also be motivated financially and otherwise-we can then make them accountable for results. And we must not be distracted by the myopic remarks of cynics that we can't change the world, and that people won't appreciate us trying. If all we succeeded doing was trying, we would have achieved MLK's feat, as recounted by Barack Obama: ''like Moses before him, he would never live to see the Promised Land. But from the mountain top, he pointed the way to us.'' He pointed the way to us. We have a responsibility to point that way to others. Indeed, one of the noblest corporeal acts that can appropriate our mortal existence to the younger generation is to instill in every child a love for reading so that they can have a chance to fulfill their dreams.