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Fifty eight years after Independence, one question
remains in my mind: why did we struggle for
independence? For close to three centuries, British
colonial rule was the norm for our countrymen. Even
before the British, our nation had only known the rule
of kings, monarchs and emperors. Having barely
experienced any other form of governance, what then
triggered the powerful Independence movement?
I think the answer lies in understanding that the
independence movement was not a struggle against the
British. Rather, it was a struggle for an idea of
India—a democratic ideal that first existed in the
minds of a few and then sparked an entire nation.
Paraphrasing from our Constitution, this is the idea
of a society where the spirit of brotherhood reigns
among the people of India, transcending all diversity;
a society that protects nature and has compassion for
all living creatures; a society of humane citizens; a
society that strives towards excellence in all spheres
of individual and collective activity.
This, my friends, is a lofty and worthy vision for our
country. However, in the decades since Independence,
are we any closer to realizing this idea of India? The
Independence movement cannot remain static history—it
needs to be re-ignited. We cannot let that precious
flame of national consciousness die when millions of
our countrymen continue to languish in economic and
social poverty.
In this day and age, I wonder how many of us can truly
relate to these words of Gandhiji: ‘‘I will give you a
talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self
becomes too much with you, apply the following test:
Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man
whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step
you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will
he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a
control over his own life and destiny? In other words,
will it lead to swaraj for the hungry and spiritually
starving millions?’’
I think this cry now falls on ears that do not
necessarily listen, and it is likely that one key
reason is that we have not succeeded in developing a
spirit of compassion and social action among our
citizens. We need to revitalize our social
consciousness, and I see no answer that does not begin
with the state of our schools; for education is the
fundamental process for triggering social progress and
reform.
Thus a seemingly simple question, why did we fight for
independence, now transforms into something more
specific: what kind of education will help our
children develop into spirited citizens—citizens who
are critical, creative and caring; citizens who will
drive social improvement? This is a large question,
and I am not qualified to offer an answer. At best, I
have a few ideas, some of which I present to you.
To begin with, I am clear that such a citizen cannot
come forth in a classroom that is not democratic. In
our schools, students are usually treated as beings
who need to be didactically tutored, disciplined, and
moulded. Students are ‘‘told’’ what to do, how to
behave and what they must know. It seems to me that
the first step is to make classrooms more open,
friendly and democratic. A classroom, where the
student is an active and equal participant in the
teaching-learning process and is continuously
formulating, questioning, thinking, experiencing,
challenging, reconstructing—and thus learning.
My own experience is that a good teacher can impact a
child deeply—simply because children learn by
observing and trying to emulate adults. Therefore, the
second requirement is to have teachers who are good
role models. It is essential that our schools have
teachers who are competent and committed; who are
constantly learning; who are good listeners; who care
about their students and about the world. And we have
to help the teacher become this, and she has to try
and become this.
The third step is to recognise that schools are
important spaces for social learning. Here, the child
learns how to relate to her classmate, to the person
who keeps the school clean, to the authority of
teachers, to the stray dog, to the tree in the
playground. And if the child learns to treat each
being with love and equity, then the child will grow
up learning to live in harmony with herself, and with
respect and care for her world.
I am certain each one of us can come up with many more
such ideas. However, if these ideas need to bear
fruit, if our schools have to change, then it is
imperative that each one of us is driven to action—as
a parent, as an educator, as a student, or as a
concerned citizen. In our own small way, and in our
own backyard, we have to raise a clarion call. Only
then will enough critical mass catalyse to ignite our
societal juggernaut from its inertia.
I would like to end with the words of Swami
Vivekananda: ‘‘Our duty is to encourage every one in
his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and
strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as
possible to the Truth. Education is not the amount of
information that is put into your brain and runs riot
there, undigested all your life. We must have
life-building, man-making, character-making,
assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five
ideas and made them your life and character, you have
more education than any man who has got by heart a
whole library.’’
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