The goal of National education, according to Ekatm Manav Darshan, is to prepare the individuals by letting them blossom according to their own unique seeds to contribute to the National goal
Mukul Kanitkar
The eternal thought of Bharat is integral and applies equally to all the humans. Humanity’s eternal happiness is the ultimate goal of this way of life. The poignant prayer of Bharatiya people has always been ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’ – May all be happy permanently! This prayer does not exclude anything or anyone. Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya beautifully developed this subtle most thought into a comprehensible model of political, economical and socially applicable school of thought. One which was only termed as spiritual or metaphysical was made suitably applicable to the harsh realms of public administration and governance.
As per Ekatma Manav Darshan (EMD) the individual grows gradually and organically into the expanding col-lective entities. Hence, family is not mere collection of individuals connected by a marital contract. In Bharat it”s a cultural expansion of two families. It”s not Union of individuals but a merger of families. Similarly, society for us is nothing but an extended family. Ours is a culture built on relations. All the expanding entities are extensions of relations. Hence, according to EMD, nation is also an extended organic entity not created merely by political and economic interests but evolved out of common historical and cultural experiences, shared sense of friend and foes, common parameters of collective pride and humiliation. This organic ever expanding collective growth encompasses all boundaries and extends to whole humanity, nature and whole universe. According to EMD, the largest expansion of collective self is the infinite parameshti. Thus, spirituality is not just for few and privileges but is natural part of national life Institutionalised into Parampara by ages of constant endeavour. This ever expanding cycle of life is beautifully expressed by the model of Akhandamandala (The Spiral). This mindset of ever expanding oneness is to be nurtured by Education.
EMD explains the interrelation between these ever growing collective entities by the model of Dharmachakra. The relation between the smaller (vyashti) and the larger (samashti) is organic in nature and not mere commercial “give and take”. It is based on perpetual giving by constantly endorsing the natural intake from the larger. Thus the concept of indebtedness prompting continuous sense of contribution by way of duty and more. Samashti nourishes the Vyashti by providing for all the needs. This taking care at all levels is called Yogakshema. By receiving Yogakshema the vyashti is empowered to perform various duties for the samashti. This performance of duties is offering Karma (action) to samashti. But karma naturally entails karmafala, the remuneration for duty. Thus samashti pays back the karma. But Yogakshema is still unpaid. This indebtedness is acknowledged by the vyashti and repaid by performing Yajna – act of renunciation. Anything done for good of others without an iota of
expectations is Yajna. Yajna is the cycle of Dharma that sustains the whole universe. Performance of Yajna at all the expanding levels of collective life
nurtures society, enriches nation,
preserves nature and thus connects to the infinite ONE.
Ekatm Manav Darshan is a model which can be applied in various walks of life and with which a practical policy can be evolved. You apply it to politics and you get an ideal Bharatiya political system. Apply it to social thought and you get ideal Bharatiya social order. Apply it to Economics and you get an ideal Swadeshi economic model. Let us try and apply it to education policy.
Aim of Education: Based on EMD, aim of education would be to unfold the holis-tic personality of the students at all the levels of being. The aim would not rest at individual development but it would incorporate the evolution of a cohesive society full of individuals contributing to the National good. Aim of education is Nation building. The complete growth and unfoldment of personality at all the levels is a means to develop citizens with National character. Bharat has a National goal to contribute its might to the common wellbeing of the humanity. It has to perform a definite role according to its own unique nature swadharma in the larger family of nations. The goal of National education according to EMD is to prepare the individuals by letting them blossom according to their own unique seeds to contribute to the National goal.
Policy and Governance: The education policy based on EMD would be holistic and integrated. It would look at education from Primary to PhD and of different professional faculties like medical, engineering, legal, agriculture in a comprehensive manner. The approach would not be fragmented and would allow interdisciplinary study. The governance model would be apolitical, autonomous and decentralised. The regulations would not be based on doubt but would promote trust at all levels.
Content: EMD emphasises on indigenous evolution of knowledge. Though it welcomes flow of knowledge from all sides, Panditji calls upon assimilation of foreign ideas by making them Yuganukul and Deshanukul. Hence in education, ideal content generation should be totally decentralised to the level of Acharyas. A centralised creation of curriculum/syllabus at the central level and then thrusting it upon everybody is not agreeable to EMD. Autonomy in content generation has to be promoted. All subjects and topics should be taught in relation with each other. The content should be indigenously designed. Not only History and Social Studies but even science and Mathematics streams should be looked upon with Bharatiya viewpoint.
Methodology: The most important application of EMD in education is at the level of methodology. Panditji’s model of relationship between Vyashti and Samashti– the individual and collective entity – is the best best way of developing an ideal educational institute. We use words like ‘shala parivar’ but a school or a college rarely evolves into an ambience of family. Family depicts co-operation, oneness, renun-ciation and duty. This can be evolved in an educational institute by applying EMD. Panditji looked upon all the collective entities as organic being like the individual has body, mind, intellect and spirit (shareer, mun, buddhi and aatma). Similarly, any organisation has to develop all these four things. Only then, a mutually benefiting relationship can exist between the individuals and organisation. The body of the organisation is its physical existence. A collective resolution of management, teachers, parents and students forms the mind of the school. The vision and thought process that guides the working of a school is its intellect and the unique character of each educational institute that evolves through practice of these principles over a period of time is the spirit of the organisation.
The relationship between the individual with the collective entity in an Institutionalised setup is well defined by the cubical model given by Panditji. The flow of attribute between the two planes is mutually enriching and organic. This structure entails a smooth natural and ever growing atmosphere congenial to the achievement of the collective aims of education. The spirit is cooperative rather than competitive. The growth and progress is inclusive and complete. The students are nurtured into national character with ability and intent to contribute to the whole humanity. The vehicle of learning is oneness born out of relationship between teacher and taught along with parents and the management. All become partners of Nation building. Thus educational institutes become joyful places of worship of Maa Saraswati. There is no stress, rigidity or presence. The inner spirit is liberated.
EMD gives a holistic and integrated model of evolving a fully Indigenous education system. We sincerely hope that the National Education Policy fulfills the ambitions and aspirations of present day generation by incorporating the principles of EMD.
(The writer is joint organising secretary of Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal)
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