LITERATURE-LIGHT AND DELIGHT
40. SCHOOL AS VILLAIN
The greatest merit of our educational system has been that it exposes young people to some form of literature, though the coverage is neither systematic, nor comprehensive. And the element of compulsion involved in it may create a distaste in the student; especially when so much depends upon the interest and skills of the teacher. Map is not the territory.
In the last 3 decades, the focus has shifted to science and technical subjects at the college level,except in purely literary courses. But the numbers attending them are quite few. The study of literature stops for most people with secondary school.
In the last 3 decades, the focus has shifted to science and technical subjects at the college level,except in purely literary courses. But the numbers attending them are quite few. The study of literature stops for most people with secondary school.
Reading, writing and conversation are the three basic skills connected with language and expression, and are the marks of true education.They may begin with schooling, but do not end there. With our exam oriented educational system, the focus is exclusively on writing. Attention is not paid to spoken language- to such matters as diction, pronunciation, proper usage, idiomatic expressions,etc.. The problem is very acute in the so called mother tongue- in Tamil in particular. One can easily notice how horrible is the pronunciation of most news readers in our TV channels.
Even in the matter of writing, the stress is on writing standardised answers, or marking of choices, rather than writing essays-long or short.With the coming of the computer, writing has almost totally disappeared.
In the matter of writing, the popular periodical magazines have set a new trend, and made reading a pleasure,and the habit wide-spread, adopting an easy and natural style- though they do not usually deal with serious or technical subjects. Indeed, Tiru.Vi.Ka identified the budding young writer Kalki for his easy and natural style,which was uncommon.The contrast with the school and college books- the ones prepared by the school boards or approved by them- is sharp: the books are uniformly dull and uninspired. The are all written to some command, and they just comply, afraid or unable to show any trace of originality or inspiration. Even in the books on history, which is so full of interesting incidents, dullness dominates. In referring to Humayun's death from fall on the steps of his library,for example, Stanley Lane-Poole wrote (nearly a century ago):
In the matter of writing, the popular periodical magazines have set a new trend, and made reading a pleasure,and the habit wide-spread, adopting an easy and natural style- though they do not usually deal with serious or technical subjects. Indeed, Tiru.Vi.Ka identified the budding young writer Kalki for his easy and natural style,which was uncommon.The contrast with the school and college books- the ones prepared by the school boards or approved by them- is sharp: the books are uniformly dull and uninspired. The are all written to some command, and they just comply, afraid or unable to show any trace of originality or inspiration. Even in the books on history, which is so full of interesting incidents, dullness dominates. In referring to Humayun's death from fall on the steps of his library,for example, Stanley Lane-Poole wrote (nearly a century ago):
' The name Humayun means fortune, but never was an unfortunate monarch more miscalled. If there was an opportunity of falling, Humayun was not the man to miss it. He tumbled through his life, and tumbled out of it.'
How accurately it sums up his whole life! Good history can be written as good literature.
Or take this description of the extent of one of the last Mughal Emperors, Shah Alam II, which was current during his time:
The empire of Shah Alam
Extended from Delhi to Palam !
(Palam is a suburb of Delhi, where the Airport is now located!- like Chennai and Meenambakkam!) Can we read such things in govt. controlled textbooks? When the magazines can do so much to spread the reading habit and improve the skills, it is a pity that most of the writing is confined to frivolous subjects. It is like tying the broomstick with silken thread, as a Tamil saying goes.( It may indeed be an insult to the broomstick to say so- it has its uses; but whom do the cinema and politician serve?)And the school books which lakhs of youngsters are compelled to study are often examples of how not to write, or how to spoil even an interesting subject, leave alone making a subject interesting!
This is not only in respect of the languages proper, but any subject. A generation ago, we had scholars like R.C.Majumdar in history, but they were not writers! Dr.Radhakrishnan was exceptional- as scholar, writer and speaker. Jawaharlal Nehru was a good writer, but his history was rotten. Southern stalwart historians like Nilakanta Sastri, Sathianathaiyer were scholars, but could not write engagingly. It is very difficult to find a good history book written by an Indian. Recently, I found the book"A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India" by Upinder Singh to be both scholarly and delightfully written.No history can be objective- it is more a matter of interpretation than of facts or truth alone. We may disagree on issues and treatment, but the book is well written.
Unfortunately, there is no good book at all on modern Indian history- especially the freedom movement, though many learned books are available outside the school system: "Churchill's Secret War" by Madhusree Mukerjee, "Indian Summer" by Alex Von Tunzelmann , Raj Mohan Gndhi's biographies of Sardar Patel and Rajaji, writings of Sri Aurobindo and the parts of his biographies dealing with the freedom movement before the coming of Gandhi are all brilliant, based on original sources and authentic documentation and meticulous research. The recent book "The Land of Seven Rivers" by Sanjeev Sanyal captures beautifully how geography has affected our history. It tells us how Punjab was actually divided for creating Pakistan, and how dissatisfied people were, but unable to assert themselves .Such books will never be prescribed for study under our educational dispensation. See how the govts fight shy of making documents relating to Netaji Bose public!
The same is the case with the other humanities subjects-like economics and political science. Samuelson's textbook on Economics has been the standard for over 50 years, in successive editions; in fact, 10 such editions would give you an idea of the history of problems plaguing economies, and how economics itself has grown (?) in these years; recently the book by Gregory Mankiw is widely followed. There are many others by brilliant authors- all of which are invariably well written, each with its own orientation. I have more than 10 such books with me- all of which I acquired and read after leaving college- for the sheer love of the subject, and love of the language! Can we cite one book written by an Indian in the same class all these years? Even on Gandhian economics, a Schumacher had to teach us! (I mention humanities because these subjects lend themselves to literary graces and flourishes. Heilbroner, Galbraith, Gide and Rist, Sir Ernest Barker, Ivor Jennings, Harold Laski, Lord Keynes, Geoffrey Crowther, Will Durant, Arnold Toynbee - their works are literary masterpieces, besides being good in the subjects.Such is not possible in the hard sciences within the system, though outside we have many brilliant contributions: Gregory Bateson, Fritjhof Capra, Alexis Carrel, Rupert Sheldrake, Rachel Carson,and books like Shroedinger's Cat, The Dancing Wu Li Masters etc.)
This is not only in respect of the languages proper, but any subject. A generation ago, we had scholars like R.C.Majumdar in history, but they were not writers! Dr.Radhakrishnan was exceptional- as scholar, writer and speaker. Jawaharlal Nehru was a good writer, but his history was rotten. Southern stalwart historians like Nilakanta Sastri, Sathianathaiyer were scholars, but could not write engagingly. It is very difficult to find a good history book written by an Indian. Recently, I found the book"A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India" by Upinder Singh to be both scholarly and delightfully written.No history can be objective- it is more a matter of interpretation than of facts or truth alone. We may disagree on issues and treatment, but the book is well written.
Unfortunately, there is no good book at all on modern Indian history- especially the freedom movement, though many learned books are available outside the school system: "Churchill's Secret War" by Madhusree Mukerjee, "Indian Summer" by Alex Von Tunzelmann , Raj Mohan Gndhi's biographies of Sardar Patel and Rajaji, writings of Sri Aurobindo and the parts of his biographies dealing with the freedom movement before the coming of Gandhi are all brilliant, based on original sources and authentic documentation and meticulous research. The recent book "The Land of Seven Rivers" by Sanjeev Sanyal captures beautifully how geography has affected our history. It tells us how Punjab was actually divided for creating Pakistan, and how dissatisfied people were, but unable to assert themselves .Such books will never be prescribed for study under our educational dispensation. See how the govts fight shy of making documents relating to Netaji Bose public!
The same is the case with the other humanities subjects-like economics and political science. Samuelson's textbook on Economics has been the standard for over 50 years, in successive editions; in fact, 10 such editions would give you an idea of the history of problems plaguing economies, and how economics itself has grown (?) in these years; recently the book by Gregory Mankiw is widely followed. There are many others by brilliant authors- all of which are invariably well written, each with its own orientation. I have more than 10 such books with me- all of which I acquired and read after leaving college- for the sheer love of the subject, and love of the language! Can we cite one book written by an Indian in the same class all these years? Even on Gandhian economics, a Schumacher had to teach us! (I mention humanities because these subjects lend themselves to literary graces and flourishes. Heilbroner, Galbraith, Gide and Rist, Sir Ernest Barker, Ivor Jennings, Harold Laski, Lord Keynes, Geoffrey Crowther, Will Durant, Arnold Toynbee - their works are literary masterpieces, besides being good in the subjects.Such is not possible in the hard sciences within the system, though outside we have many brilliant contributions: Gregory Bateson, Fritjhof Capra, Alexis Carrel, Rupert Sheldrake, Rachel Carson,and books like Shroedinger's Cat, The Dancing Wu Li Masters etc.)
Schooling and assessment or examination cannot be separated,like milk and water cannot. This is so all over the world- but the educational system need not make students dull, by putting a premium on learning by rote. Our text-books are so uniformly dull only because they want to ensure that no student will think for himself. The same books are followed throughout the state! Not only is the syllabus uniform, even the treatment of the subject is uniform(ly dull.) I do not think this happens in any free society. This has happened in Tamil Nad after the Dravidian parties took over.
There was another feature. Education was mainly through govt. schools ( or schools run by local authorities or District Boards.) They generally had good and conscientious teachers. Colleges were also mostly private. In due course, I noticed one important difference: the govt schools had good teachers, but the schools lacked a system of coaching for the exam; the private schools, especially the Christian ones, had average teachers, but had excellent coaching! They would have weekly and monthly tests, before the quarterly and half-yearly exams; and they would have one big test before the final exam- some colleges even treated it as 'selection' exam: only those clearing the test would be allowed to sit for the public exam, so that the image of the institution would not be adversely affected. Now, private schools proliferate, coaching is the standard, and govt schools, like govt.hospitals are the refuge of the choiceless. However, with entrance exams for almost everything, specialised coaching has replaced classroom teaching, which lacks 'class' most any way!
Thus, the education system which introduces youngsters to literature, also kills the interest quite early. In most cases, interest does not develop into appreciation, or lifelong habit. Most people are unaware of the beneficial effects of literature: it can be so relaxing, or stimulating! There are books on nature, adventure, wildlife, travelogues, memoirs, autobiography, biography, hagiography- apart from the Classic fiction and poetry! Good poetry is still written, as also very good novels! The short story genre itself is so wide in scope, so rich in variety and so enormous in volume! Nice collections, anthologies, translations are easily available! Poetry books are still costly, but so much is already available on the Net, free! And there are delightful writers , writing on the most technical subjects for the general reader!
In India today, living conditions in most cities are horrible. Most cities don't have parks or other lung space; recreation facilities , when available is outrageously unaffordable;public spaces are so crowded and so badly maintained; the roads are congested, noisy, polluted; and even public transport is now costly, besides being inconvenient, time-consuming. Even if we want to visit a park for relaxation, the way to it is full of tension. In a place like Bangalore, it is difficult to get any transport after about 7 p.m from most areas., and it is certainly not advisable for ladies or senior citizens to travel at such an hour. As against all this, consider how soothing and comfortable it will be to settle in our own favourite nook at home, with a book in hand! The money and time spent in transportation can easily be diverted and invested in literature! This need not isolate us from our friends, for we can gather our friends periodically, and discuss literature, instead of Modi, Monsoon and Movies! We can surely discuss who is a better writer on nature and wild life- Jim Corbett, Bill Aitken or Ruskin Bond? Gerald Durrell, or James Herriot? Who presents or represents India best: Munshi Premchand, Sharat Chandra, R.K.Narayan, Raja Rao? Who wrote better social novels : Devan, Kalki or Lakshmi? How do Na.Parthasarathy and Jayakanthan compare with the writers of an earlier generation? How do we enjoy Tiru.Vi.Ka and T.K.C? How about a Ramalingam Pillai and Desika Vinayakam Pillai, even if we cannot take up Avvaiyar and Kapilar? How about Pichamurthi, Ti.Ja.Ra, La. Sa.Ra. Vallikkannan, Asokamitran? Did Indira Parthasarathy fulfill the promise he showed in "Veshangal"? And we have our Bharati! Variar and Ki.Va.Ja! How do we assess a Vaali or Sujatha? Or, if we are religiously inclined, we may take up our itihasas and compare the poets, the plots and characterisation! We can take up Bhagavatam and Narayaneeyam for comparison! Take any field, we have such wonderful creative talents and resources! But we only consider them as entertainment, not as literature! Even take our brilliant artists- Maniam, Gopulu, Silpi! And we can surely debate whether photographs can match or excel what Silpi created, or whether Maniam Selvan has not excelled his father, brilliant as he was?
The 'techie' generation is unfortunately caught up in its own trappings, if not traps! I just want people to realise what a rich heritage we have even at the regional level, and what we miss in life when we skip good literature! We get educated, in spite of schooling!
A child educated only at school is an uneducated child- George Santayana.
Note:
One instance of a well written book on Indian history is "The Making Of Modern India" by Shripad Rama Sharma- not to be confused with any S.R.Sharma. This covered the history of India from 1526 to Independence. It was published in 1951 by Orient Longmans Ltd. I had read it in 59-60 in the college library, and taken down notes. But subsequently it was not available in the market. I made enquiries with the publishers, some 10 years ago, and they did not even know they had published the book! I have not forgotten the book despite the years, for it was one of the best books ever written. One section dealt with the claim in some English quarters that " the empire in India was established in a fit of absentmindedness". The way Sharma dealt with and disposed of the claim thrilled me! I took down that whole chapter in my note book.
Sharma subsequently wrote another brilliant book "The Soul of Indian History" published by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in their famous Book University series in 1967. I do not know whether it is still in print. It should not be missed by any nationalistic Indian.
I have always felt that only a knowledge of history can give true identiy to a people, along with literature. That is why our Itihasas are written in the form of literature! Most ancient literature in the world was about the history of the people!
A child educated only at school is an uneducated child- George Santayana.
Note:
One instance of a well written book on Indian history is "The Making Of Modern India" by Shripad Rama Sharma- not to be confused with any S.R.Sharma. This covered the history of India from 1526 to Independence. It was published in 1951 by Orient Longmans Ltd. I had read it in 59-60 in the college library, and taken down notes. But subsequently it was not available in the market. I made enquiries with the publishers, some 10 years ago, and they did not even know they had published the book! I have not forgotten the book despite the years, for it was one of the best books ever written. One section dealt with the claim in some English quarters that " the empire in India was established in a fit of absentmindedness". The way Sharma dealt with and disposed of the claim thrilled me! I took down that whole chapter in my note book.
Sharma subsequently wrote another brilliant book "The Soul of Indian History" published by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in their famous Book University series in 1967. I do not know whether it is still in print. It should not be missed by any nationalistic Indian.
I have always felt that only a knowledge of history can give true identiy to a people, along with literature. That is why our Itihasas are written in the form of literature! Most ancient literature in the world was about the history of the people!
kloknn k;
ReplyDeleteHi sir, nice work you work you have done.
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