It is said that if all is well with
the colleges, all will be well with the society. I am sure you will
agree with me, that all is not well with our society today. Hence the
conclusion is inevitable that all is not well with our colleges. It is
one thing for the colleges to reflect the social reality. What is more
desirable is that the college should be an agent of change in the
society. In a positive and dynamic way. In a fulfilling way.
The concept of a college or university is not new to our society.
Nalanda and Takshashila are not a part of fable and folklore. They were
concrete realities, legends of bricks and stones built by our own
forefathers. They had seekers of knowledge from different parts of the
globe.
The spirit of inquiry was all at its glory. Every position and
proposition was debated and questioned. And through questioning, both
the learners and the teachers tried to arrive at facts and truths.
Knowledge and not fulfilment of personal egos was the primary focus.
In our ancient society, universities were at places away from the
general run of life activities, mostly in forests. They were places for
quiet contemplation and introspection. Learning through instruction by
the teachers was only one part of the education. Our method of education
gave equal emphasis to other sources of learning. If we divided the
learning process into four parts, one part was imbibed through the
instruction of the teacher; another part was imbibed from the student’s
interaction with the peer group; yet another part was through one’s own
intellectual prowess; and the final part through the passage of time by
gaining experience.
With time, we have moved away from that model. The reasons could be
several, and I don't want to divert this article in that direction. In
the modern times, it is perhaps unrealistic to expect the society not to
impact the college. It is not possible to insulate our colleges, for
good reason or bad, I don't know.
I am a student in one of the best technical colleges of the country,
and I myself can't claim that my college is not able to fulfill its
duty towards the community. It is clear that if there is any institution
that is involved in the task of nation building, it is the colleges.
But I need not at the same time hesitate for a moment to say that the
efforts by my college are not enough. The efforts of the educating
community as a unit are not enough. The colleges are probably doing
their best. But even their best efforts are not good enough!
Not just colleges, but also we, the students must acknowledge the
fact that in India, birth decides the fate of most people. And we belong
to a very privileged lot. It is a fact that out of every hundred who
join a school, only less than ten make it to the college. The rest drop
out to work in farms, or raise cattle or work in hotels or become a
daily wage worker. The situation is much worse among the scheduled
castes and tribes especially among girls.
It is important to understand the strength we possess. India is
blessed with youth power. In fact, no other nation has the advantage
that India has today. More than 30 per cent of our population comprises
of the youth. Indian students and youth are appreciated everywhere in
the world. Our academic abilities and perspectives are valued all over
the world. This is our strength, and no one, absolutely no one can take
this away from us. If social responsibility is added to this strength,
the result will be resonating in every gully of our nation we so dearly
call ours.
There is another angle to the social responsibility, an associative
one though. Most colleges cannot function with the fees that students
pay. Most of it comes from the state, in form of funds or subsidies.
Which means that it comes from the tax-payers’ money. In our country,
most of the tax money comes from not direct taxes, but from indirect
taxes. In other words, they come from the poor. The common agricultural
labour, the little cobbler, the autowala and the housemaid. It is these
people who finance the colleges. Even if they don’t stand at our
college’s gate and ask questions, should the educating community not
feel accountable to them?
Every college is a powerhouse. A powerhouse of not only ideas, but
also of action. Can't the student's of a college resolve that there
should not be a single illiterate in the radius of a fifty kilometers of
their college? Can't the students sit down and work out a strategy, and
an action plan? Should it be left only to the mercy of the bureaucratic
red-tape? Can't the students ensure that no one dies due to shortage of
blood in the district? Flood the blood banks with voluntarily donated
blood. Why should a person beg for blood on streets?
It is not possible to see that people in the area where there is a
college remain healthy. Is it impossible to see a day when people say
that there is no child labour in the area; thanks to the college there?
Is it not possible to see a day when every village and community is
lively and healthy and well nourished because there is a college in the
vicinity? Is it a tall order to expect to see a day when one says that
there is no illiterate in the area because there is a college there? If
it can be done, is not doing it, an abdication of social responsibility?
Recently Japan was devastated, and the only precautionary measure
that worked for them was the helping nature of the people there. Such is
the elevated level of their society. But have we peeped into their
classrooms and seen what these Japanese are taught? They are taught
compulsory social responsibilities in schools and colleges. This has
another advantage. It transforms the youth into a socially aware group.
Think of such a system in India. Each youngster will familiarize himself
or herself with the social reality. When they leave the college, and
become administrators, social leaders, doctors, engineers, scientists
and other professionals, they will not lose sight of the social reality.
Their experience with the social action will stay with them throughout
their life. A generation will awaken!
Noble laureate Prof. Amartya Sen said that if the things go on as
they do now, parts of India would resemble the prosperous California and
some other parts would resemble sub-saharan Africa. Poverty and
Prosperity cannot have comfortable coexistence. Prosperity should spread
and overwhelm poverty. We do not need great technocrats who are social
fools. We need good human beings. People who feel for the cause and can
bear the pain of building a nation. This should compulsorily be the
mission of every college of our country. That's the only chance this
country has, and we can't let it go. We just can't!
Note- This article is dedicated to Krishnaraj Sir, my teacher.