“Real education consists in drawing the best out of yourself” Mahatma Gandhi once quoted.
Gandhiji has played several roles in a single lifetime. Just a few to name would be a Priest, an Author, a Journalist, a Barrister, a Doctor, an Auctioneer and a Teacher, but also as a Kisan, a Beggar, a Jail bird, a Servant and a Cobbler. In the book ‘Bahuroopi Gandhi’ written by Anu Bandopadhyay describes Gandhiji as person who played all his life roles with determination and with Great Spirit.The book has been culled from D.G. Tendulkar’s “Mahatma”.
The book is beautifully written to portray Gandhiji as a willing sharer in many labours which others do to earn their livelihood and not for the love of work.
The book has many chapters, each one based on every job done by Gandhiji and how he functioned in a variety of ways, quite apart from politics and the public scene.
However, my favourite chapter in this book is ‘Teacher’. Gandhiji’s methods of teaching illuminates every human in different ways.
For Gandhiji teaching started from his home, when he tried to teach is wife Kasturba who was illiterate. He tried to teach her the three R’s i.e. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic but failed miserably. For him the true development of head, heart and soul were necessaryfor a true education. So, He read and explained the Gita and Ramayana to Kasturba on his way to England where she accompanied him in 1914 by ship. Kasturba attended and listened to it with great interest. At the age of 73 Kasturba accompanied Gandhiji in jail at the Aga Khan Palace where in his leisure time he would give her the lessons of Geography, Gujrati literature and Grammar. As a prisoner Gandhiji taught English to a Chinese co-prisoner and Gujarati to an Irish jailor. Even at his age of 74 Gandhiji would with ease draw accurate diagrams of Geometrical figures. He was quite confident of his capacity as a teacher. But his views on Education and his methods of teaching were very different from the accepted standards.
There were three busy workers in South Africa- a barber, a clerk and a shop-keeper who wanted to learn English, but due to lack of time and money they were unable to attend regular classes, so Gandhiji went to their places and taught them enough English to keep accounts and write business letters.Gandhiji founded a primary school for the children of different religion at Phoenix Settlements in South Africa. In his school the teachers were from different countries like England, Germany and India who were so busy with their manual work that they came to school directly from the fields with their ankles covered with mud. Gandhiji sometimes even gave lessons while nestling a baby in his arms.
Gandhiji did not ask students to do anything which he did not practice himself. He always believed that a timid teacher could never make his student brave. He was always keen in learning something new and so at the age of 65 he began to study about the stars. Gandhiji did not want to paralyse the pupil intellect by loading it with book learning.
After returning from South Africa Gandhiji set up an Ashram in an open land on the banks of river Sabarmati in Gujrat. He always wanted to do some experiments like farming, animal husbandry, cow breeding and khadi in living. The residential students were taught History, Geography, Mathematics and Economics in Vernacular, Sanskrit and Hindi language. Gandhiji trained the student to learn some occupational work so that they could cover their educational expense.
Gandhiji marked how much time and energy was wasted in mastering English- a language completely foreign to the students who gradually got alienated from their own heritage, literature and language in higher education which did not create any confidence in them. Gandhiji always insisted that a child should be taught to read before he learnt to write. Gandhiji was against the use of any corporal punishment given to the student. He never compared the work of ones pupil with the best in the class, but gave him higher marks if he improved upon his work. He gave liberty to a child which was a guiding principle of Ashram education. He always felt that the youngest child should feel that he is something.
He thought that adult mass education was necessary to remove the sense of helplessness of the millions and to eradicate superstitions.
As an educationist Gandhiji was ranked among the great experimentalists of the world. He opened many schools in Bihar, one National college in Bengal and founded the National University at Ahmedabad. This teacher who was refused a job of a teacher because he was not graduate was then a London matriculate and a barrister.
After reading about Gandhiji’s journey as a Teacher and an Educationist I feel every human is capable to impart knowledge to the people and society in some way. Teaching and moulding our young minds to become responsible and independent is our duty and the best service to our nation. We should preach what we have practiced ourselves. Learning has no end, there is yet a lot to learn for all of us. Keep learning and keep teaching. Everyone has a teacher inbuilt in themselves.
