{"id":790,"date":"2013-07-13T01:30:26","date_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/?p=790"},"modified":"2013-07-13T01:30:26","modified_gmt":"2013-07-13T01:30:26","slug":"24-national-education-speech-vol-27-supplement-volume-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worksofthemotherandsriaurobindo.org\/index.php\/01-works-of-sri-aurobindo\/01-sabcl\/27-supplement-volume-27\/24-national-education-speech-vol-27-supplement-volume-27","title":{"rendered":"-24_National Education (Speech).htm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n

\n
\nNational
\nEducation<\/span> *<\/span><\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

\n                    
\n<\/span>T<\/font><\/b>HE meaning of national education is now
\nwell understood in Bengal, but the case seems to be quite otherwise in this part
\nof the country. Even the Honourable Mr. Gokhale showed his ignorance of the
\nmatter by tampering at Surat with the wording of the resolution on national
\neducation passed at the Calcutta Congress. Some of these people appear to think
\nthat there can be no "national" education for India, where, according
\nto them, the existence of various conflicting creeds and races makes the growth
\nof a feeling of nationality an impossibility. This view is utterly wrong. The
\nvery geographical position of the country, isolating it from other parts of the
\nworld, argues its separate national existence. Italy, which is isolated like
\nIndia, achieved national independence within a space of thirty years. Shivaji,
\nAkbar, Ashoka as well as the Rishis of old are amongst the component parts of
\nthe Indian nation. Let us learn from Japan how to awaken the national spirit
\namong the people by a contemplation of the heroic deeds of our ancestors. Let us
\nbear in mind that we have a debt to discharge not only towards our ancestors but
\nalso to our posterity. If such a noble ideal is steadily kept before our mental
\nvision, we shall see that our nation will give birth to great philosophers,
\nstatesmen and generals. This ideal has been kept in view in guiding the movement
\nfor national education in Bengal. In teaching geography we impress upon the
\nminds of our students that India is their Motherland, that Maharashtra produced
\nShivaji, that the Punjab was once ruled by Ranjitsingh, and that the Himalaya
\ngave shelter to our ancient Rishis. History and philosophy, too, are taught in a
\nsimilar manner with a view to awaken the spirit of
\nnationality amongst the pupils. Nothing that is useful or important is neglected
\nin the scheme, and instruction is, as far as possible, imparted in the
\nvernacular. This is not the case with the education imparted in Government
\nschools where the tender   <\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

*Speech
\ndelivered on January 15, 1908 at Girgaum, Bombay.<\/font><\/p>\n

\n\t\t
\nPage-67<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n

minds of
\nstudents are uselessly burdened with Western ideas utterly antagonistic to their
\nown modes of living and thinking. In profiting by our contact with Western
\ncivilisation, we should be careful not to cut ourselves adrift from our original
\nmoorings, but should at the same time imitate the Japanese in taking the fullest
\nadvantage of modern scientific discoveries. In political matters we have much to
\nlearn from the Western nations, and we should also turn to them for lessons in
\npopular Government. In our scheme of national education, we teach students how
\nto take an active part in politics, as we believe that without such training
\ntheir education will not be complete. As we teach them some handicrafts, they
\nfind it easy to obtain moderately remunerative employment on leaving our
\nschools, which is not the case with the pupils attending Government
\ninstitutions. Our seventh standard equals the intermediate course of the Indian
\nUniversities. Self-reliance forms the guiding principle of our scheme of
\neducation. We do not look to Government for help as we think that State
\nassistance will destroy our national stamina. We challenge those who have been
\nharping upon the alleged impracticability of imparting education "on
\nnational lines", to visit Bengal and see what is being done there in that
\ndirection. Some of the Zemindars have given us substantial aid in carrying out
\nour plans on condition that we accept no assistance from Government.<\/font><\/p>\n


\n
\n(The same paper gives the following report of a second lecture delivered by Mr.
\nAurobindo Ghose at the Halai Lohana Mahajanwadi at Bombay on 19th January.
\nThough the handbills announcing the lecture were published only four hours
\nbefore the time fixed for the lecture, over three thousand people gathered to
\nhear Babu Aurobindo Ghose. He alluded to the heavy sentence passed upon the
\nprinter of the Yugantar <\/i>and remarked that the secret of the new awakening
\nin Bengal lay in a firm belief in the justice of the national cause and an
\nabiding faith in God. Our helplessness, he continued, when contrasted with the
\nmight of the ruling class, gave rise to a feeling of despondency in ordinary
\npeople and made them look upon the efforts of the National Party as those of
\nlunatics. But the national movement in Bengal was<\/font><\/p>\n

\n
\nPage-68<\/font>\n<\/p>\n

\n

based on the fact that what seemed impossible to ordinary
\nminds was easy to those who had unshakable faith in God. It is feelings like
\nthese that enabled the Bengalis to disregard harassments, floggings and
\nincarceration. The people of Maharashtra would be able to experience the effect
\nof these feelings when the national movement took root among them.)<\/p>\n

January 15, 1908<\/p>\n

\nPage-69
\n<\/font>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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