We have to burn the candle at both ends,one end for illuminating our past and the other to light up the path to the future.We have to clearly view and understand our past ,identify the errors made,and,recognize, in the context of this day and age,the load of irrelevant beliefs and meaningless practices,that we continue to carry, writes Dr H C Pande
Aurobindo ashram Mother was once asked,as to why she considered the problems of India to be of prime importance for the world ,she replied,that,if one could solve those then one could solve anything in the universe.A most unnerving statement but having 24 carat purity.An ancient civilization pushed by circumstances into a protective shell,dormant,in more than one way,for centuries,seeking regeneration to emerge through the mist of the past,and,the dark night of the present,into a bright future is just about the size of the problem.An open mind alone can switch on the light of reason & logic to dispel the mist,and,chase the darkness.Half-hearted measures won’t do,we need light at its brightest.
We have to burn the candle at both ends,one end for illuminating our past and the other to light up the path to the future.We have to clearly view and understand our past ,identify the errors made,and,recognize, in the context of this day and age,the load of irrelevant beliefs and meaningless practices,that we continue to carry.What was wrapped in mystery yesterday,is explainable today on logical,scientific basis and is now common knowledge.The why of many practices and traditions has been unraveled and we know,that,many of them should have been discarded long ago.So,we have to discard what is baseless,& untrue,and,fails the test of reason and logic.Getting sentimental over a great past should not come in the way of our reconstructing the future.To quote:
“New times demand,new measures and new men.
The world advances,and,in time outgrows,
The things that in our Father’s Day were best.
What matters it,if you tear a parchment more or less.”
Lighting both ends is imperative,as,only then, we may have sufficient brightness to see our way,for a double-march,through the darkness accumulated over centuries of decay due to neglect at times,and,helplessness at other times.We have to recover the ground lost in the past,as well as,gain new ground and catch up with the front runners of to day.Double-march is unavoidable,as,with the pace of development in all areas, all over the world,we have less than no time on our hands.
The foundations have to be reinforced and strengthened,as we continue to build-up the super structure for a better tomorrow.Moral and ethical super-structure required, in this day and age,has to rest on the foundation block of,faith in knowledge,faith in reason, and,faith in logic ,and,not just in faith that has been handed down over the generations.Yes,faith has preceded knowledge,but,it only forms the initial layer of the block,and has only historical significance.
The institutions in all areas of activity have to be upgraded,and,more added, yet at the same time,the human resource input,has to be upgraded with quality education and training programs.We know where we have to reach,and,we have to reach there in the shortest possible time,but,we can not ignore the realities at the starting point.We have to move in several directions at the same time;the problem is multi-dimensional.We now require a different approach as the resources are not enough to allow each institution to be an empire by itself.Total net- working of the institutions is a possible approach.For instance,a reputed higher secondary school could be a mentor of several primary schools of the area and supervise as well as guide them in conducting their educational programs.The mentor could also share its teaching,and,learning resources, where & when necessary,to buttress their weaker departmentsLikewise a good college could do the same for the higher secondary schools,and a university department for the colleges.With the communication network covering the whole country this is eminently possible with the current information technology.
The spin-off of this arrangement would be,that,the better-off’s would know,the problems of the worse-off’s,and,the apex institutions of science,technology management and administration would have something substantial to think over and find solution for.
This is a tall order.The priorities have to be right,the time schedules tight,and,work day & night.Strong will and hard work is all that is necessary to build the future and realize our dreams.To quote:
“The future is not some place we are going to but one we are creating.The paths are not to be found but made…”
We have a long night to go through.All of us have to work at our hardest,shoulder to shoulder,with determination,tenacity and persistence to ensure that the candle remains bright and lasts the night.
(Dr H C Pande is Vice Chancellor Emeritus , BITS, Mesra)
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