Pride, Prejudices and Predilection

Part-IV

Dr. Bipul Chandra Goswami


For business development concern and running offices, courts and academic expansion, the British administration merged both East Bengal and Assam, and introduced English in the schools of Assam (1836-1873). Thus that system of education without  any content of patriotism was inducing a callous mindset in our youths prior to which gurukul system was prevailing in the society, rather, it had ascertained only to develop them into a mute self to meet the administrative requirements of offices, courts, and to pursue the academic expansion of schools and colleges, and developing an attitude in our youths as job seekers.

    Gandhiji’s cautious introspection initially gave us a model basic training schools to train up an army of future citizens capable of building up not only their qualitative education but also to help develop a sense of responsibility, self confidence, work culture and a love for the tion and its people. Unfortutely, our present system of education continued even after the British left the country after our independence.

    Even after independence, we could not foresee the importance to restructure the educatiol system as a true instrument of moulding our youths. Gandhijis model educatiol system if continued could have continuously lead us to tread in character building enforcing our youths in making them as the true citizens of our independent India. But after Gandhiji’s assassition, the post independent government never pursued it as par Mahatma’s vision, but continued to follow the legacy of British Rule. Through the introduction of monteswari system, English medium primary and secondary schools proliferated like mushrooms imparting good education but less responsive for tion building. Our attention could strictly be drawn to those S.E. Asian countries like Thailand, Malayasia, Honkong, Vietm, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea, including Chi with Mao’s, Philosophy, whose citizens love their countries most without indulging in corruption eventually became much developed even though they became independent much later than us. Our present state of affairs may be due to the continuing compliance to our slave mentality.

    Hence, there cannot be any two opinions about our former president, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s keen desire few years back to evolve a developed India by 2020.; For this obvious reason he visited the entire length and breadth of India, met students across the country, visited learned persons and saints and seers including Brahma Kumaris and Satya Sai Baba and industrialists like Ratan Tata and Adim Premji and exchanged opinions to oversee the way out and quoted from Abraham Lincoin - quote “Determine that things can and shall be done and then we shall find the way”. unquote, Kalam’s authoritative and masterpiece work quote “ignited minds, are the most powerful resources on earth, and the one billion minds of our tion are indeed a great power waiting to be trapped,” unquote, In my own opinion, if we can really connect it (billion minds), to the Einstein’s famous quote - “Imagition is moe important then knowledge, it may be quite possible that slavery mindset ingrained in our society will automatically be fizzled out to replace it with the saying, quote “while knowledge gains wisdom persists” which may empower everyone of our country to fulfill the great ambition of our friends, philosopher and guide, late president, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. If our tion can really fulfill his ambition, then there cannot be any better tribute to his noble soul, and we can achieve the uchievable at a quicker pace.

    It is an invaluable fact that Kalam has given the tion a gift, “ignited minds” not only to the young India, but also to the callous minds of the political leaders of our tion. Good spiritual culture alone can grant unity and guide our people to replanish the blemishes in the mental make up of our society. It can be well assumed that, “ignited minds” can be a practical guide-book to the social, educatiol, political  and administrative leaders, including public leaders like M.P.s and M.L.A.s to inspire them, like the Gita is for all. With a respite, Kalam further questioned in his book, quote, “Do you think in politics, purity is possible?” unquote, leaving aside this question as it is outside his purview, quote, “Kalam further said, there was one aspect to it,” as can be mentioned here as follows : quote, “This aspect is quite relevant when the entire generation of people representing excellence in all fields, - politics, industries, sciences and arts - emerged in the years leading to our independence, : “Mahatma Gandhi, C.V. Raman, J.R.D. Tata, Pirojsha B. Godrez, Laxmanrao Kirloskar, Ramkrish Bajaj, Rabindrath Tagore, Dr. S. Radhakrishn, Madan Mohan Malviya, K.K. Birla, contributed towards the ultimate goal of united vision that the tion had set for itself, modelling our Post independent development.

To be continued...

Related Stories

No stories found.
Sentinel Assam
www.sentinelassam.com