love and respect

Editorial Views

Maintaining Respectful Teacher-Student Bonds

We used to read a beautiful poem by Kazi Quader Nawaz in our textbooks when we were children. In it, King Alamgir observed his son pouring water over the Maulvi's feet, while the Maulvi himself was cleaning the dust from his feet with his own hands. The following day, the king summoned the Maulvi to the court and questioned him about this display of disrespect. He asked, "Why didn't my son clean the dust from your feet with his own hands?" The Maulvi replied, "From this day forward, the teacher's head has been elevated forever."