Light Of Life

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 62

will have to leave India, they may go away but their language will remain in India and the English way of life will remain, in India. These things will remain in India. Indians would adopt them with love and will deem it an honour to have adopted them.“
Now-a-days, Indians imitate the western fashions, and they think that they have advanced in life. They think arrogantly that others are backward. From the western system of education, we acquire knowledge of words; not of the soul.
Our present day educational system has not been adapted to Indian conditions. It has taken a different direction, and India has not been able to remain India. We do not accept Hindi as our National language; nor do we give any importance to our mother-tongues. What a great loss ! What a loss of the intellectual potentialities of our people! That which appears radiant outwardly appears to us; but it lacks protiens and vitamins. It also lacks taste. This kind of knowledge lacks perfection. It does not encourage the development of the intellect.
This incident that took place in Rajasthan illustrates the nature of the present-day educational system.
A certain Hindi teacher joined a school. He found that the Hindi students in the school were backward. Their standard was very low. The teacher thought of revising the earlier protion and to proceed to the new lessons on that basis. He decided to find out the level of achievement reached by the students. He asked the students ;
"Dear boys ! How many lessons have been covered so far ?
"Seven" they said.
"I would like to ask you a few them"
questions about
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