Education that makes a world citizen
Long ago, eons beyond our ken, when living beings were blinking in bewilderment at the large world into which there were ushered, the gentle Indian and his dazzling wife were looking into each other’s eyes and smiling. That smile spoke volumes of a deep understanding of the world around them and the truth in them. Sitting wide eyed, they penetrated into the space beyond the realm of stars. Sitting immersed in themselves, they were able to shake hands with the awesome beauty of an all pervading reality. At the stroke of a fine moment, they understood the structure of the universe, the purpose of creation and importantly, their own truth. It was then that they set about learning the ways of the world by going through life in all its aspects remaining yet unaffected, like the shadow that never gets wet while swimming. In short, life to them was a spontaneous perpetuation of their inner realizations.
This was the root of Indian education; the seed for which has never been seen!
What they understood was universal and hence relevant to all at all times. Their pursuits were very many but their purpose was to know the truth. Again, it was very clear to them that there is an Absolute Truth, there are relative truths and that lack of alertness creates untruth. That was why, though they were living here and there, they knew that they were not in seclusion and that they were a part of a huge family comprising the stars yonder there and the flowers that twinkle here; the space everywhere and the matter here and there. This grand realization made them sing in unison thus:
“Let all men meet and think as with one mind, let all hearts unite in love, let the goal be common. May all live in happiness with a common purpose.” (Rig Veda)
What was that common purpose?
- Self Realization is the goal and responsibility of every man
- Active concern for the welfare of all living beings is the duty of every individual
They are not even two sides of the same coin. They are the two eyes of the same person! They are to be performed simultaneously, like the flapping of the two wings of a bird that soars into the sky. This universal realization was the personal achievement of our ancestors. They shared it joyously with others and lived in tune with the truth they had discovered within themselves. They never imposed their findings on anyone but gently offered them, inviting others to verify their veracity themselves. They never interfered with others’ faith. They passed on their joy of realization to successive generations. They lived in the society, went through life in all its aspects, mastered the art of living and the science of leaving. Their all round curiosity led them to many scientific discoveries that were positive and related to the day to day life. They found in fine arts the appropriate means to express their inner joy and excellent avenues for others to pursue their journey towards divinity. They understood clearly that inter-dependence is the central theme of the song of creation and that an individual’s conduct is vital for the harmony of the society. They placed society above the individual since they knew that an individual’s well being is thoroughly dependent on the society’s welfare. Thus, their outer life was marked by display of citizenship and their inner life was totally devoted for the purpose of realizing divinity. Call this a way of life or spirituality, this culture that flourished on the fulcrum of the family system is the gift of India to the humanity at large.
Therefore, whether it was grammar, logic, art, science or anything, ancient Indians treated education as a means to achieving the following:
- Making man a complete human being, i.e., strong in mind and body, possessing a sterling character, loving and valorous, knowledgeable and humble, serious in pursuit and humorous in outlook, an all round personality or a citizen of the world
- Righteousness in personal life. A high degree of citizenship in social life
- Learning and teaching simultaneously
- Keeping spirituality as the personal goal
In short, education was understood as the ‘ability to tackle the ups and downs of life’ and the capability to handle oneself.
With this in mind, let us look at the current scenario. Today, we live in a society where patriotism, culture and past are bad words! The moment you speak of the glorious past of India, there are a thousand raucous voices from all directions trying to shout you down. Anything about our past is bad! Nationalism is religious extremism! And, Indian values have no value in modern life! What a shameful decline this is! It is not that difficult to pinpoint the causes for this seemingly unstemmable rot -- Mughals, Macaulays and the Marxists, in that order. The marauders indulged in physical destruction; the British propelled by the church ruptured the very fabric and the Marxists are hell bent in removing anything that would speak of our great heritage.
Sadly, Indian history was not written by Indians. The Europeans and the British in particular, handed down a concocted version specially designed to justify their imperialistic, colonization mindset. Thus entered the Aryan Invasion theory. The tragedy is it has been subsequently disproved to such an extent that even its propounders have quietly given it up but it still exists in our text books! The text books in West Bengal would attack Hindu religion and eulogize communism but would carefully avoid mentioning about the millions of people that were killed or rather purged by Lenin and Stalin. Their number is so large that Hitler pales in comparison! And, if you cross the border and go to Pakistan, you will find in their textbooks that India was part of Pakistan and it shall have to be got back!
Our primary duty therefore, is to have a sense of history without which a sense of belonging to this great nation cannot be roused, without which we cannot conquer our enemies, particularly the more vicious inner enemies. Of course, any attempt in this direction will face a very violent resistance but we have no choice but to overcome it by rising as a collective force. Indian history is not a book of tales of a few kings who lived and died. It contains the records of men and women of incredible prowess, valour and character; it is a chronicle of the deeds of men who became super human through their penance; it is a compilation of scientific truths that sing about the secrets of creation; and most important, it throbs with messages that help us graduate from a mundane existence to lively life.
To achieve this, we have to address the parents, the teachers, the students, the public and the media that has gone berserk. We have to bear in mind that the institution of family is the basis for our culture. Values were passed on from one generation to another at home. We can observe that during the freedom struggle, the energy was diverted. Hence, the generations after independence did not receive what they should have. To this, add the onslaught of the evils of western influence, the minority appeasing programme of the successive governments, the diabolical designs of the church and the guileful ways of the leftists. We get a clear picture, however murky it is!
- Address the youth:
We have to go to them, speak their language, encourage questions and convince them. True, they have mistaken an upstart tendency for scientific temper, not knowing that in India alone, science governed religion.
We have to list out our ancient achievements from their point of view. We have to provide them keys to read our Puranas that contain the story of creation, epics that teach us how to live and scriptures that contain material and spiritual sciences. We have to explain the need and nature of symbolism.
- Create political awareness:
We have been seeing that the educated do not take the initiative to lead the masses. The masses are misled by the crooked politicians and the educated remain at best mumbling witness to the dire consequences.
Our students must be shown how criminals have taken over politics, how our money is stolen, how public money is swallowed and how the voices of protest are muffled even physically. The youth must be made to understand that these traitors announce populist schemes but preserve poverty, support minority religions for the political and monetary benefits and condemn the majority religion because it works for universal peace.
- Start Citizens’ Forums:
Citizenship is the only remedy for the ills that are afflicting our society today. Every nook and corner must have a non-party-based citizens’ forum. Elders and youngsters, from different areas of the society must participate. They must discuss everything, from the parliament to the pan shop. The student must know how much each project costs, how much public money has been spent, what is the quality of execution and must go in a group to the authorities concerned, raise questions and demand answers.
- Emotional culture:
Thanks to the pressures of the fast paced modern life ruled by a crippling sense of competition, the diversions, a corrupt society and poor parenting, our students are fragile at the top. Insecure inside, they look arrogant outward. We have to counsel them gently, step by step through an interactive approach, carefully avoiding a sermonising attitude and help them see the futility of some of their pursuits themselves.
Women must be taught that the solution to suppression of women (which is often exaggerated) is not feminist extremism. The domestic violence act is an evil design to target the very basis of our culture, the institution of family.
- Grab the media:
The biggest or the costliest mistake that well meaning people have committed is not to have a media of their own. Till this day, we do not have a quality electronic channel to systematically propagate our values in a modern way. On the other hand, media is in the hands of people who decide what should happen and interpret anything to suit their commercial and political designs. Today’s Indian is totally at the mercy of the media. He will accept anything that is printed and shown and said.
It is sad that we have not properly utilized the internet, which is one of the most powerful tools of the modern era.
Grab the media, be scientific and smart in your presentations. Expose the politicians and the self-styled intellectuals; education and values will be automatically saved.
- Unite the like-minded:
We have many organizations in the country. We all say that we have the same goal. But ironically, we work in different directions. We never work together as if we have taken a vow not to do so. We are blinded by the bylaws of our organizations, at the cost of the common goal.
Uniting them all means making them speak in the same language; making them stand up and be counted; making them work together in every forum. Unless this happens, education will continue to remain in the hands of wily politicians, Marxists and minorities.
I agree this is not easy, but if we do not walk the extra mile now, we cannot take another step later. It is a movement that gathers strength through patience and perseverance, spreading the truth through our conviction.
The welfare of Indian values is of paramount importance not only to India but to the entire world because of their universality and relevance. The discerning Indian is essentially a world citizen because he is always upholding peace. It is for this reason that India is the Guru to all the nations of the world. This world citizenship was the basis as well as the goal of ancient Indian education.
It is by restoring it that Indians will become Indians, India will become India and the world, a better place to live.
Vande Maataram!
