Thursday, July 5, 2012

India After The Mahatma (Gandhi Journal Article - II )


India After The Mahatma
Director, PGSR, SNDT Women's University, Mumbai

Introduction
Mahatma Gandhi was a visionary who made an epoch making contribution for socio, political, economic and cultural transformation of not only India but also the world. His public life began with peaceful civil disobedience in the Indian community's struggle against racism and for civil rights of non-white population in South Africa. After his return from South Africa to India, he organized all sections of society, from budding industrialists, educated intelligential, women and children to poor farmers and labourers to protest against oppressive British regime and widespread discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for the alleviation of poverty, for fight against merciless taxation of poor peasants, for the liberation of women, for communal harmony and democratic rights of ethnic groups, for an end to barbaric practice of untouchability and caste discrimination, and for the economic self-sufficiency of the nation, but above all, for Swaraj (home Rule) the independence of India from foreign domination. Gandhi famously led the civil disobedience movement against the salt tax imposed by the British Administration with the 400 kilometer (250 miles) Dandi Salt March in 1930. He masterminded the Quit India Movement in 1942.
I congratulate Shri M.D. Shah Mahila College of Arts & Commerce, Malad for organizing  a National Seminar on this important theme during the centenary year of Gandhiji’s famous series of articles in Harijan written during 1908 compiled as “Hind Swaraj” in which he gave his vision of future of India and demanded “human face” for economic development, growth, science and technology. READ FULL ARTICLE…

Thought For The Day ( FEAR )


Monday, July 2, 2012

My Magical School


My Magical School  
Dr. Abhay Bang
Translated by Arvind Gupta




As a child I went to an amazing school. Today, I feel helpless and sad for I’m unable to offer such an education to my son - Anand. “Our childhood was so different. Things have changed beyond recognition,” old timers often moan and groan about the past. Still, my heart is heavy. You may ask what was so different about my school?

Until standard ninth I studied in a school which followed the tenets of Nai Taleem (Basic Education) as enunciated by Gandhiji. Out of these I actually spent four years in the Nai Taleem School located in the Sevagram Ashram in Wardha. Education should not be confined within the four walls of the classroom mugging up boring subjects away from Mother Nature. Gandhiji’s Nai Taleem strongly believed that children learnt best by doing socially useful work in the lap of nature. This is how children’s minds would develop and they would imbibe a variety of useful skills. To implement such a system of education, Rabindranath Tagore at the behest of Gandhiji sent two brilliant teachers to Sevagram. Mr. Aryanakam came all the way from Sri Lanka and Mrs. Asha Devi from Bengal. This duo combined Gandhi’s educational methodology with Tagore’s love for nature and the arts. My parents were involved with this educational experiment right from its onset. The school tried out many novel experiments in education. Here, I will attempt to recall some of them.

Thought For The Day ( MAN )