Education in its historicity in the Indian Context relates to primacy of a classical tradition based on the ancient textual materials mainly the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and the Upanishads. Any discourse on ancient learning has its own carefully constructed vocabulary, which is both descriptive and systematic of its structure, function and content.

Gurukula, Guru-shishya parampara, Varna, Akshararambha, Dhvija are some familiar terms denoting the setting, the teacher- student interaction, social stratification and the two stages of initiation to knowledge seeking. The oldest literature would be the vedas and the interactions of the teacher- taught governed by the principle of acharya devo bhava (teacher be God).

History records the Vedas to be a collection of hymns describing and praising the forces of nature and are authored by the common Aryan people. The compilation is done by Rishis (Cultural Heritage of India). The authorship of the common people and the worship of nature are indicative of harmony and an ecological inter-dependence of man and nature. These are thoughts and ideology very different from the present human-centric approach to nature and its resources.

The creators and the contents of the literature form both the pulse and the voice of the people. Valuing of common people and their beliefs is what comprises our heritage in the Vedic literature. The essential learning from the vedas is that what becomes classical having roots in the words of 'all' rather than only the elite few.

Folk stories in many regions express the guru's desire to pass on the learning to deserving students. The rigour and discipline the students had to display to be worthy of being imparted knowledge was through. Deceptively simple tasks such as carrying a very light box through the forest without opening it or the case of Nachiketa who proved his exceptional worth through his exemplary patience by waiting for the Guru to be free and feel convinced to teach. A total regard for the value of the teacher.

Such incidents highlight that there is much more to learning and growing than building skills. Nurturing human values and concern is an important facet of true knowledge seeking and giving of knowledge. Perhaps these are values of an alien culture and of a by-gone era.

The vedas were preserved through the rote chanting by the young and interested few mainly in the oral form the following stages.

The Samhita-path…….Continuous recitation

The Pada-Path………..Word recitation.

The Krama-Path………Step recitation.

The Jata -Path…… …...Woven recitation.

The Ghana-Path… ……Compact recitation.

It is with this oral learning mode that the vedas have stood the test of time. At present both this rich literary text as also the methods of recitation and chanting are questioned for their appropriateness as tools for learning. Recitation and chanting in groups has a crucial role in committing texts to memory with children. Children themselves monitor each other. Many of the scriptures with a vocabulary identifying stages of growth and development of children give evidence of a knowledge of changing needs of children: Shishu, Balak, Yuva,vyasak and vridhha. The rituals and ceremony described in Ayurveda literature coincides with growth milestones signifying an awareness of developmental patterns and needs of children. Some of the prescribed rituals are:

Surya darshan: for the mother and child in the neonatal stage; a ritual to formally welcome the new- born to explore and enjoy the world.

Nama-karan: the naming ceremony.

Mundana: the Tonsure or the shaving of the head.

Vidyarambha: the initiation to learning .

Upanayan: the transition to adulthood leading to Brahamcharya.

Grahistha Ashrama: The building of a family and the new role as a householder.

The continuation of many of these traditions over time is itself a testimony to the usefulness of rituals in sensitively socializing the young to the larger culture.

Education viewed in a larger perspective, as the socialization of the young is the responsibility of society. Its history is necessarily continuous. The dominance of the oral-aural culture has several gaps in recorded history. A brief survey of modern texts of history provided brief descriptions of the status of education during different periods. Beyond the Vedic era it was mostly the period to establish the empires and a unified identity. Education did not receive the required attention. The continuance of the influence of the Vedic traditions comes to us again through folklore in different regions. Many of these tales are alive and are narrated as part of the rich repertoire of regional folk wisdom as perhaps the story of Bharat, Dushyanta and many others of a similar genre. This would not be mainstream historical data yet forms the hardcore wealth of the people's treasure trove providiing socio-historical links.

The security of the state is quite directly fosters enriched intellectual expression and interaction. Stability in society is often as necessary to promote innovative learning as crisis initiates invention or change. Historical episodes give evidence of both such contexts. 600-400 BC was the time for the establishing of large cities and this preoccupation

led to an absence of group means and opportunity to build competencies. The only descriptions of intellectual activity were the diversifying of religions and the birth of Buddhism and Jainism. Even till 200 BC the over-riding concern of the rulers was the building of power. The Mauryan period was in the grip of internal conflicts of power and the only reference to creation of literary text is the writing of the Arthashastra. The experience of the Kalinga War and the slaying of thousands of soldiers proved for King Ashoka to be traumatizing and made him reflect and change the course of action. This not only transformed him to a Buddhist but also sensitized him to the needs of the common man. He felt the need to spread the teachings of the Buddha and had edicts with carvings of the teachings of Buddha put in several parts of the country. It does seem to be a turning point for the rulers to follow as in the subsequent descriptions there was much less violence and involvement with power status. Education found a distinct place and one does not discern the life of the people only from the discussion of religion. At all times along with the spread of Buddhism and Jainism the worship of Vedic Gods and Goddesses was also a form of religious practice.

In the period 200 BC to 300 AD there is mention of scholars in the courts of Kushan and Kanishka rulers. To these rulers, Art and literature was sacred. It was during this period that the Tamil literary text Sangam was compiled. From then on till the 800 AD was really the boon era for the solid foundation of education. Being totally in the domain of royal support, one comes across vivid descriptions by Chinese traveler Fa-Hien of the prosperity of the life of people under the Gupta dynasty. It was in this period that there were large descriptions of scholarly works, dedicated teachers and grand universities in different parts of the country. Takshila, Nalanda and Kanchi were centres of learning and there were as many as 1500 teachers and 10,000 students. The Kings advocated harmony among religions. They themselves worshiped all Gods. It is said for Harshvardhan that he worshipped Buddha on the first day Shiva on the second day and Sun God on the third day. The courts also supported poets. Harisena and Banabhatta were the poets in the period of the 'Golden era' of the Guptas. During this period education seemed more systematic as there was a prolific production of literary works. It is in this period that there is mention of Primary education. The freedom to explore with state support and recognition saw the growth of several disciplines and scholars like Aryabhatta in the field of Mathematics, Vrahamihara in the development of science. The famous poet Kalidas produced Meghdoot, Ritusamhara and his other seminal works during this period. The roots of in depth explorations and specific expertise were encouraged. Elsewhere scholars like Asvagosha, Vasumitra, Nagarjuna, Charakh were working in other fields. It is in this ambience of security and prosperity that treatises and commentaries such as the Chrakh-samhita, and Buddha-Charita were conceptualised.

Pursuits of individuals took form and fostered the development of knowledge. The efforts of individuals are also reflective of socio-cultural institutions and practices and cannot be viewed in isolation. There existed a societal value for learning not social dictate for what learning ought to be. The system and form for knowledge dissemination is expressed in the various Sanskrit terms such as Vidyavritti --grant for education, Shalabhogam--land given for schools, Saraswati-mandapam---place for learning, Pustak-bhandaram--library. The remuneration for the teachers was in kind and there was a high regard for the guru. There was a caste bind to education and learning. Certain prescriptions sanctioned only some options for particular caste with the idea of social organization and division of labour. However this caste divide created a class distinction and remains till now as one of the oppressive forces of the Indian society. Yet within the historical mode there is evidence of caste transgressions to scholarship; Valmiki being a hunter, Tiruvalluvar was a weaver, Nammanvar was a peasant.

Within this structure itself there were intellectual rebellion to the supremacy of the Brahmins. The Bhakti movement organised itself as an innovative and creative expression for communicating with God. Devotees of Shiva and Vishnu such as the Nayannars and the Alvars broke the prerogative of the upper caste by taking prayers out of the sacrum sanctorum of the temple space. Surdas, Kabir, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bhakt Mira composed lyrics and sang in public spaces. The learning of women was within homes. Gargi, Meitrryayi are some of the women scholars. One of the concerns from the historical information is the complete absence of women from learning in public domains. Women's participation is more an exception than a rule.

There seems to have been a close link between the religious texts and learning. The state, religion and the teaching learning had several interfaces. The learning materials were either the Vedas or the Buddhist or Jain texts. These textual materials formed the fabric of the people's moral ethical code. The period that followed was of another set of invaders which perhaps gives always a set back to routine municipal tasks. The Moghul period was besieged with plunder and wars. The concern for education is evidenced in there being many more madarsa --schools for learning the teachings of Islam. Art, Architecture and Music received great support from the Moghul emperors.

Again it is the records of Fao Paolino an Austrian traveler (1796) whose descriptions give us details of Children's education in the Malabar area. Her account and Alexander Walker's papers give vivid narration of children in small schools learning the "sounds of their language by chanting and there by committing it to memory along with which they also trace the letters of their alphabet on the sand on the floor. This helps them for finger dexterity as well as to learn. The teacher corrects it, if it is wrong and traces it for them."

Her observations include "the new born babies lie always on the ground as if thrown and neglected and their limbs are never tied or confined in any manner as is done in Europe. Their limbs can therefore expand without the least restrain and their bones and nerves become more solid…"

Walker's description in 1820 of the same area has similar observations of children learning together and giving response to the method of chanting together and how each one of them monitors the other. Walker states that " the children are taught without violence and by a method peculiarly simple. The system was borrowed from the Brahmans and brought to Europe. It has been made the foundation of national schools in every enlightened country. Some gratitude is due to the people from whom we have learnt to diffuse among the lower ranks of society, instruction by one of the most unerring and economical methods that has ever been invented. The pupils are monitors of each other and use fingers or a metal rod to trace letters in the sand. This is in the Primary stage. The interested student moves to more scientific masters.'' He continues ''the missionaries have openly owned that this method of instruction used in Grammar schools has been borrowed from India.'(Walker on Bowler Papers)

The socialization of the children to social intellectual competencies is recommended to be based on multiple processes and geared to developmental norms and individual needs. All educational planning must take into account the fact that every child has a unique disposition that thrives best in socio-cultural familiarity, this serving as an organic link to the larger cultural mosaic.

The British organized surveys of the existing educational facilities in 1822. This was pioneered by Thomas Munro, the Governor in Council. The intention was to make a systematic record of as much as had been written about the erring teaching methods in the existing schools. Letters were sent to all the provinces. The intention was to aid the 'Native schools' and not interfere, yet that is precisely what happened and capsized and catapulted the whole system. In their surveys the textbooks were only found to be the epics and they identified differences in the nature of texts used by caste groups. That the epics were close to peoples hearts was inconsequential. It was with reservation that the authorities recognized that in certain area where there had been 533 schools not one was receiving state grant. In earlier times the collector noted that education had been state supported. The general decline was due to the impoverishment of the country. At this point I would not go on to give details of the colonial devastation of the indigenous education. It was Mahatma Gandhi who in 1931 took open cudgels with the British and accused them, ''It is without fear of my figures being challenged that India today is more illiterate than it was fifty years ago. For the British instead of taking hold of things as they were began to root them out. They scratched the soil and began to look at the root and left them out and the beautiful tree perished'.

Dharampal's book The Beautiful Tree is not to be treated as a nation's lament for the destruction of India's indigenous education. It is an endeavour to sensitize a nation to take cognizance of the need for education to be in socially and culturally appropriate attire. It is a moment to reflect about building our resources based in tune with the texture of the soil with indigenous threads. To explore simply let us question ourselves: what songs are children singing as their daily chants? We hope that the 'Jills' have stopped tumbling after 'Jacks' without reason. What stories are we telling the children in the classrooms? We need to construct child like images of wonder for the lions, deer and their friends rather than cruel stepmothers baking children in ovens. How much of our folk art is part of the classroom teaching? How much freedom are we exercising in the choices we make as thinking Indians?

That is not enough. How do we react when a child answers H for 'murgi' not hen? What is the reason for all the cakes in the local bakery shop to be Happy Birthday Mary--John-Tina--Angelina when it could well be Happy Birthday Mary--- Mala---Latif---Mohan. I would conclude by responding to ''take hold of things as they are."There is a large NGO enterprise working for the betterment of the underprivileged sections and improving their life chances through education, better health care, nutritious diets, empowerment plans , as also women's issues.

Do we think together with the people about what they as a community deems to be their future or is our zest for social commitment subduing the much-needed dialogue to discover the people's thoughts and desires? Are we propagating ready made weaning foods, milk substitutes and teaching diahhorea management all under the UNICEF mandate? Preventive health care attitudes simple home remedies are facing a rough deal with increasing literacy and educational competence. Nutrition education research is focusing on the biochemical effects of rice and wheat, palm oil, obesity and perhaps the value of people's, food dietary habits, reasons for regional and seasonal variation seem like kitsch art and seemingly trivia issues.

Food families, their relation to the soil,sound too common place questions for main body of knowledge building. Legal cells and counseling for women are groups that have come together to enable women to be aware of their rights as individuals. In the wake of world academic community recognizing the importance of the Indian 'group-self'' the cultural plurality is the issue and" melting point" seems a dated approach. What schizophrenic effect this may have is not the operating guideline of counseling ideology.

The contention is not to negate modern educational theory and practice but be provocative to draw attention to our responsibility to identify the balances in advances and useful traditional knowledge systems. The teacher-student, leader-follower are necessarily heirarchical relationships. Gandhiji and leaders like Vinoba Bhave were leaders who could steer their following as they had an ear to the ground and( if I may add) eyes on the graffiti. Much folk wisdom has stood the test of time and education is best in the native tongue Anand Coomarswamy has given vivid descriptions of the consequences of inflicting alien concepts and systems. As educators let the spirit of work be of seeking and building together and nurturing the knowledge bond with care as said in the beginning of the Kathopnishad.

Or do we also need to "bless communities with divine light and moral improvement''?

It is more than 50 years to Apna Desh and an indigenous seems more exciting than a hand me down from the colonial elders.

We need to review the relatedness of modern practice to ecological rootedness. Modernising education, community life as also looking afresh at our attitudes and values is necessary. Awareness of rights is of value for a just existence for which discharging duties is as much an important factor. The status and regard for both women and men is essential. The goal of education is not needlessly provoke dissonance and rebellion. It is a means to sustainable, quality living and thinking. Let us take lessons and cultivate and tend the perishing roots of the ancient educational processes and provide learning mode and content with a socio-cultural relevance.

 

Asha Singh
Lady Irwin College
Sikandra Road.
New Delhi.