Swami Vivekananda's interest in contemporary science education in India is well known. He was one of the influential figures behind Indian Institute of Science(or "Tata Institute" to the local people in Bangalore). In a letter to Swami Vivekananda, dated 23rd November, 1898, the industrialist and nationalist Mr. Jamshetji Nusserwanji Tata shared his idea of building a science research institute1:
"Dear Swami Vivekananda,
I trust, you remember me as a fellow traveller on your voyage from Japan to Chicago. I very much recall at this moment your view on the growth of the ascetic spirit in India and the duty, not of destroying, but of diverting it into useful channels.
I recall these ideas in connection with my scheme of Research Institute of Science for India, of which you have doubtless heard or read. It seems to me that no better use can be made of the ascetic spirit than the establishment of monasteries or residential halls for men dominated by this spirit, where they should live with ordinary decency and devote their lives to the cultivation of science, natural and humanistic. I am of the opinion that, if such a crusade in favour of an asceticism of this kind were undertaken by a competent leader, it would greatly help asceticism, science, and the good name of our common country; and I know not who would make a more fitting general of such a campaign than Vivekananda. Do you think you would care to apply yourself to the mission of galvanizing into life our ancient traditions in this respect? Perhaps, you had better begin with a fiery pamphlet rousing our people in this matter. I should cheerfully defray all the expenses of publication.
With kind regards, I am, dear Swami
Yours faithfully,
Jamshetji Tata�
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| The original letter |
Although there is no account of Swami Vivekananda�s response to this letter, we know Swami Vivekananda was interested in such endeavors. The official journal �Prabuddha Bharata� from Ramakrishna Math and Mission expressed the support for this effort of Mr. Tata in its editorial of April, 1899.2 However, neither Swami Vivekananda nor Mr. Tata were alive when the institute actually came into existence in 1909 with the tremendous efforts from the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, William Ramsay, Dorabji Tata, the elder son of J. N. Tata and Sister Nivedita.
Vivekananda�s excitement with Indian science was also evident in his interactions with Professor Jagadish Chandra Bose. In his memoirs of European travel he mentioned how thrilled he was to see Dr. J. C. Bose giving his lecture in front of the western audience explaining his research.3
Apart from his interests in India�s scientific achievements, Swami Vivekananda rightly realized the urgent need for education to alleviate people from abject poverty and distress. In numerous letters and essays he expressed that only education was the solution to the problems of India. He stressed on the education, which can bring confidence and self-reliance among the people. In a letter to the Maharaja of Mysore in 1894, he wrote4:
�Priest-power and foreign conquest have trodden them down for centuries, and at last the poor of India have forgotten that they are human beings. They are to be given ideas; their eyes are to be opened to what is going on in the world around them; and then they will work out their own salvation. Every nation, every man and every woman must work out their own salvation. Give them ideas � that is the only help they require, and then the rest must follow as the effect. Ours is to put the chemicals together, the crystallization comes in the law of nature. Our duty is to put ideas into their heads, they will do the rest. This is what is to be done in India. It is this idea that has been in my mind for a long time. I could not accomplish it in India, and that was the reason of my coming to this country. The great difficulty in the way of educating the poor is this. Supposing even your Highness opens a free school in every village, still it would do no good, for the poverty in India is such, that the poor boys would rather go to help their fathers in the fields, or otherwise try to make a living, than come to the school. Now if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. If the poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him. There are thousands of single-minded, self-sacrificing Sanny�sins in our own country, going from village to village, teaching religion. If some of them can be organised as teachers of secular things also, they will go from place to place, from door to door, not only preaching, but teaching also. Suppose two of these men go to a village in the evening with a camera, a globe, some maps, etc. They can teach a great deal of astronomy and geography to the ignorant. By telling stories about different nations, they can give the poor a hundred times more information through the ear than they can get in a lifetime through books.*This requires an organization, which again means money. Men enough there are in India to work out this plan, but alas! they have no money.�
�Education, education, education alone! Travelling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people, and I used to shed tears. What made the difference? Education was the answer I got. Through education comes faith in one's own Self, and through faith in one's own Self the inherent Brahman is waking up in them, while the Brahman in us is gradually becoming dormant.�
After almost hundred and ten years of Swami Vivekananda�s demise, the situation has not improved as he would have liked to. Today, almost one third of the total number of malnourished children live in India.6 About 12% of the Indian males are not literate and after 65 years of independence, female literacy rate is only 65%.7
We know from various studies that education and specially girls� education is essential for improving many of the development indices.8,9 While the government of India has already implemented the right to education bill10, it is also important to ensure that the benefits of this bill are realized urgently. According to a recommendation to the government of West Bengal, we will need 1557 additional primary schools and almost 15000 new or upgraded upper primary schools in West Bengal alone to ensure the enrolment of all the students in schools.11 These massive targets can only be reached with the synchronized active participation of NGOs, private sectors and the government. We, who are fortunate in our lives to receive the fruits of the economic growth of India, need to stop awhile and look back if we have left anyone behind in the journey towards progress. Swami Vivekananda�s ideas on education still remain relevant and we have to keep ourselves motivated until the goal of universal education is achieved.12
* Interestingly enough his thoughts on teaching went well beyond the contemporary standards in schools. The use of visual methods and story telling approaches in teaching are now well recognized as efficient methods.
References:
b) �What Works in Girls� Education: Evidence and policies from the developing world� by Barbara Herz and Gene B. Sperling
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