4S) GN-1A (12 Feb-2018) Bharghava Shyam- (C)

Please write a Response papers (20 % weightage) on any one of the readings uploaded on moodle for this course which you have not responded to before:   
Do include the following:
●A reference in a valid format (APA/MLA)
●A brief summary of the major arguments made by the reading. 
●A personal response to the reading such as things/points which struck you, or things /points that you would like to know more and overall impressions.

Book Selected: Basic Education (1950) Introduction: Editor’s Note by Kummarappa. B

Summary:

Gandhi got this Nai-talim idea in the South Africa itself in the name of Tolstoy form he started this school. His ideology on education was not changed.

In Kumarappa’s reading Gandhi is not happy with the way of English education in India. Because that (this) education is providing clerks for government, but not stimulating the skills in production. Which is making us rely on outer (foreign) things, than inner (village) things, because of this villages are losing its essence becoming helpless, paralyzed and sinking in the poverty.

Gandhi’s Nai-Talim education use to involve in all round development of the child (individual) and to draw out to the full the latent capabilities of the child through the art and craft education, and this will revive our economic and culture life, which are on the verge of collapse through English education in Indian villages.

Personal response to the reading which struck me, are

British English Education made Indians “education of no practical use (unpractical nature of the education) what so ever to the people”.

I feel unpracticality in the sense giving training for only on abstract (literacy) knowledge, which means non-figurative knowledge. The Paper word that does mean the real Paper. We need the abstract knowledge also with practical paper, which to help us to figure out that knowledge. We can’t show all things practically, but we can make them to relate to their present life through the pedagogy and our actions. I feel abstract need help us like a guide to our reality. Ex. Bangalore map is abstract, it need help me as a guide to that place, but this Bangalore map should not be substitute for my Bangalore visiting experience. That means I (we) need Education through work, this Nai-talim only know.

“Machine civilization as fully evidenced in the world today brought enslavement and exploitation of a nation and of industrially backward people, far from leading to freedom and self-dependence”.

Now I am thinking about my happiness through the freedom and self-dependence, because I don’t have freedom and depend on others, I will expect something from others, when I didn’t get that expected thing I feel very sad, this expectation is not good for me.

While talking about freedom only I feel I am enslaved to machine civilization and also exploited to myself (Body & Thoughts). I addicted to use the lift in our university instead of climbing, if lift is not working means, I feel frustrated and use to angry on others. I am talking about freedom (self-dependence), when lift is not working I feel frustrate to climb the stairs. Here I am exploiting my body from health.

For calculations I addicted to use of calculator, not on my mind. I am talking about self-dependence and using machines and I feel it is exploiting my thoughts from logics.

For Transport (Bus-Train), Health (Hospitals), Education (Institutions), Justice (Court), I am completely depending on others and outer things. I am helpless right now with hypocrisy. 

Based on some limited examples I am writing this thought process as conclusions.

Feedback: Grade: C

Your understanding of self-sufficiency with examples like lift, bus, hospital and court are very simplistic. And unnecessarily emotional for a reading response assignment. 

Gandhi was talking of self-sufficiency of basic needs. Would he not sit in a vehicle ever? Of course he did. In a motor car several times. But would he prefer it over walking if practical? No. But would he walk distances that are impractical? No. So to reach point A from point B, any Gandhian would prefer public transport that are for all masses because of the ecological angle but also inclusivity.

Also, Bangalore maps have a place and are useful, not the best example to illustrate Nai-Talim.