LITERATURE- LIGHT AND DELIGHT
60. VANISHING SUBJECTS
We today have a vastly bloated image of our own literary standards and achievements. But no society has been without its own literature, in whatever state of culture, down the ages. Those who mastered the literature were few in number, but the cultures being predominantly oral, many ideas were widely shared, spread by itinerant figures, and patronised by kings and chieftains and the wealthy, or simply, society at large.
With the invention of printing, and the spread of literacy, books came to be printed and read increasingly. But the overall standards have steadily fallen- anything could be printed and promoted! It has become difficult to identify the really great literature in modern times. While so many are printed, so few are really read.
Lack of literacy never was a barrier to understanding and appreciating genuinely great literature. We thus see that the Ramcharitmanas of Sri Tulsidas was read in public squares by pundits,where people listened in great numbers while those who could, took down the verses! Nearer, we see how each instalment of the great novels of Dickens was read out in shops and taverns to eager audiences of illiterate people by those who could read! And now we also see how the great literature of the past is mostly gathering dust in the unlighted corners of the libraries, if we still have them! There is a law in economics that ' bad money drives good money out of circulation'! We can apply it to literature with even greater force: the flashy and silly literature of the day drives the great literature out of sight and circulation.
The British colonial govt imposed their own system of education and used it to supplant the indigenous educational system of India, by making it compulsory for employment. The self-sufficient and independent local economies were gradually and systematically replaced by a fast-spreading centralised, money based market system. India had been following the Varnasrama system where the source of livelihood was reserved for each community, free from competition from others. The trades, crafts and other professions were hereditary and were learned on the job or at home at no expense. Nor was literacy necessary, though people learned the basic works relating to each profession or craft orally. Thus the carpenter or the sculptor knew his 'sastra' by heart, all learned orally. Formal or mere academic learning was not required for earning a livelihood and hence was not sought after, except by the few who were really inclined. This was taught at the local level by individuals whose very house or a common place like a temple hall served as the venue. This was provided free, the teacher being maintained by the munificence of the local wealthy or the king, big or small. The Brahmins too learned their religious lore orally in patashalas in 'gurukula' style. Knowledge was valued, but was not equated with formal literacy. Even the religious books like the Ramayana were mainly known orally, families often specialising in just one or two.
But when the British emerged as the rulers, they altered our economic system, and thus rendered our educational system irrelevant. Whereas economic life had been independent and village centred, now the old trades and crafts were gradually rendered useless. New arrangements in agriculture rendered a lot of people landless and led to migration to other areas as labourers. Land revenue was collected in cash, as against in kind earlier and so a centralised money economy replaced local arrangements based on barter and mutual obligations. Brahmins were gradually deprived of the sources of support, with the decline of local kings and chieftains and consequent reduction in the performance of religious rites. The new colonial govt threw two baits before them: it offered them some kinds of jobs but required them to learn English and act as interpreters. Thus for the first time in history, Brahmins became paid employees.There was simply no alternative before them as they had never been economically independent and well to do.
Thus gradually indigenous learning systems declined. We read in the life of Sri Ramakrishna how exactly this happened in Bengal, where the British first took hold in the 1760s. Within 100 years the village economies had declined, most local people had been reduced to subsistence levels, famines emerged. Sri Ramakrishna's own family was reduced to dire poverty. His elder brother who was a learned traditional pundit came to Calcutta seeking livelihood. He opened a Sanskrit school in a corner of Calcutta, besides earning some income by performing pujas in the homes of some rich men in the locality. He asked Sri Ramakrishna, then a young man of 16 to join him in Calcutta to assist him. This was in 1852. It is of course a different story that Sri Ramakrishna neither liked the formal academic learning, nor the duties of a priest. But the incident throws light on how the peaceful life of India was disrupted by the British, and how society was forced to change.
The new system of education, with English and modern European subjects had been introduced in 1836 and was eagerly embraced by the Bengali youth. The Calcutta University was established in 1857, along with those of Bombay and Madras. The youth abandoned traditional learning and took to English education. Yet, the old branches of indigenous knowledge had not totally disappeared. We find Sri Ramakrishna talking to college educated youth of Calcutta ( whom he used to call "Englishmen") in the 1880s extolling the virtues of traditional knowledge and their truth , validity and relevance.. Vivekananda was the supreme example of a great student of the modern system of education completely won over by Sri Ramakrishna. Mahendranath Gupta is the other.In them we see a happy blend of the East and West.
But the indigenous subjects and languages depended on govt patronage. Some support came reluctantly but they suffered loss of patronage and prestige in the absence of a linkage to jobs, in contrast to English and modern subjects. This system has largely continued even after Independence except that the local languages have received total govt. support. But the irony is that they are not able to serve as the medium of instruction in modern subjects: like Sanskrit, they are all stagnating as literary languages, and not as the vehicles of modern thought in modern subjects.
Thus the problem before us now is precisely this:
- Our languages are fine as vehicles of our literature, but not as medium of instruction in modern subjects.
- Our indigenous literature, enormous in volume and variety, like our kavyas, the systems of philosophy, the various other branches of knowledge etc are not useful for employment.
- Some like music, Ayurveda, Yoga are emerging as both useful and popular.
- our vast religious and philosophical literature in Sanskrit and other regional languages are languishing for want of patronage and usage. The number of people knowing them in the original is fast dwindling.
- There is no prospect of these subjects gaining acceptance for inclusion in the mainstream educational system.
What are we to do?
No language or literature can survive in the absence of mass popular usage. Our religious literature has survived because the religion is still practised, however imperfectly, and the rites are still performed, whether the meaning is understood or not. Ayurveda is still practised, our music is still sung, even though to dwindling audiences. But what is the earthly use of a Sakuntalam or Kiratarjuniyam, in the absence of a congenial scholastic environment for appreciation? Who will understand or appreciate if you use a simile or phrase from Kalidasa or Kamban?
But this is the trend all over the world even in respect of English literature. In the 4 decades between 1971 and now, the number of students majoring in English language and literature has fallen by 50% in, yes, the US! This is in line with the fall in the study of humanities as a whole. English is studied as a language for business, but not for its value as the vehicle of human thought, reflection and expression of the soul and mind of a people or culture. It is just another of the 'use and throw' items!
Universal education was once claimed as the panacea for all ills of society; today we see that education itself has become a big , unmanageable problem. Graduate studies were assiduously promoted in the US as the most desirable activity for the youngsters, as a great cultural and civilising influence. Yet surveys among the undergraduate students ( the US has a penchant for such surveys on all things imaginable) have shown that over 66% of the students do not take the studies in that spirit- indeed do not care for such studies at all. They take college time as a sort of prison term, or time for socialising, away from the more rigorous prison of real life and harsh society, a time which postpones the necessity of earning on their own! In short, youngsters do not enter college to become scholars or learned men! Graduate studies of even literature do not promote love of literature in all. On the contrary, you can meet real lovers and devotees of literature in all unlikely places and unexpected corners.
In India, like in the so called third world, the situation is not much different. Youngsters are eager to learn English language- as this is the medium of studies in all modern subjects and therefore the avenue of employment. Literature is studied to the extent necessary to learn the language, no more. Their real attitude to literature is revealed in the way they handle their own native literature: indifference. If the mother tongue or local language is not made compulsory at the school level, no one would care to learn it formally; nor do they learn it at the university level, if it is not prescribed as a subject for examination. And they study it only to pass the exam, not to attain proficiency to any degree, and abandon it as early as they can. Most do not read anything in the mother tongue other than the newspaper or the film magazine. Conduct your own survey to find out, you don't have to believe me.
No language or literature can survive in the absence of mass popular usage. Our religious literature has survived because the religion is still practised, however imperfectly, and the rites are still performed, whether the meaning is understood or not. Ayurveda is still practised, our music is still sung, even though to dwindling audiences. But what is the earthly use of a Sakuntalam or Kiratarjuniyam, in the absence of a congenial scholastic environment for appreciation? Who will understand or appreciate if you use a simile or phrase from Kalidasa or Kamban?
But this is the trend all over the world even in respect of English literature. In the 4 decades between 1971 and now, the number of students majoring in English language and literature has fallen by 50% in, yes, the US! This is in line with the fall in the study of humanities as a whole. English is studied as a language for business, but not for its value as the vehicle of human thought, reflection and expression of the soul and mind of a people or culture. It is just another of the 'use and throw' items!
Universal education was once claimed as the panacea for all ills of society; today we see that education itself has become a big , unmanageable problem. Graduate studies were assiduously promoted in the US as the most desirable activity for the youngsters, as a great cultural and civilising influence. Yet surveys among the undergraduate students ( the US has a penchant for such surveys on all things imaginable) have shown that over 66% of the students do not take the studies in that spirit- indeed do not care for such studies at all. They take college time as a sort of prison term, or time for socialising, away from the more rigorous prison of real life and harsh society, a time which postpones the necessity of earning on their own! In short, youngsters do not enter college to become scholars or learned men! Graduate studies of even literature do not promote love of literature in all. On the contrary, you can meet real lovers and devotees of literature in all unlikely places and unexpected corners.
In India, like in the so called third world, the situation is not much different. Youngsters are eager to learn English language- as this is the medium of studies in all modern subjects and therefore the avenue of employment. Literature is studied to the extent necessary to learn the language, no more. Their real attitude to literature is revealed in the way they handle their own native literature: indifference. If the mother tongue or local language is not made compulsory at the school level, no one would care to learn it formally; nor do they learn it at the university level, if it is not prescribed as a subject for examination. And they study it only to pass the exam, not to attain proficiency to any degree, and abandon it as early as they can. Most do not read anything in the mother tongue other than the newspaper or the film magazine. Conduct your own survey to find out, you don't have to believe me.
It is clear that the great literature of any language can be saved only by some concerted private initiative, in an environment which does not depend upon official patronage. This exactly is a situation for which Hindus are not known to have any skill or solution. There is not a single area where Hindus have shown such wisdom, or initiative or enterprise. Indian society greatly depends on the 'Ma-Baap' sarkar, and in most states competitive politics has made people look up to the govt for anything from subsidised rice to free dhotis and sanitary napkins, TV sets and laptops, free schools, free books, and may be, even a free degree! People are free to read their literature, and so most do not! Can we think of just 5 families or persons in each locality gathering once a week for say 3 hours to take up study and discussion of any of our traditional literature? We usually think that some one else will do it!
Note.
There have been many studies and reflections on the state of university education in the US. ( I often take it as the model since it holds so much attraction for the youth of the country). One of the more perceptive ones was by the philosopher Allan Bloom: The Closing of the American Mind, published in 1987 -as usual, available in India after some years. There he contended that the universities had failed to serve the students, unable to recognise the aspects in them that might be yearning for completion, and failing to fulfill that need. They had consequently impoverished their souls, and failed to serve the great cause of culture. And today's youth too seem to be beyond the reach of any higher thought, such as ethics. They only seem to be concerned with utilitarian aspects. Thus a survey of school students in the UK revealed that 49% of them felt that Shakespeare should not be taught in schools because he was'boring', irrelevant to the times', there is no way we can 'live his ideas', he was 'vulgar' etc. What hope of greatness can there be for such a country? What can you say of a people who cannot value their own past intellectual attainments? One thought such things happened only in India, brainwashed by an alien education!
Note.
There have been many studies and reflections on the state of university education in the US. ( I often take it as the model since it holds so much attraction for the youth of the country). One of the more perceptive ones was by the philosopher Allan Bloom: The Closing of the American Mind, published in 1987 -as usual, available in India after some years. There he contended that the universities had failed to serve the students, unable to recognise the aspects in them that might be yearning for completion, and failing to fulfill that need. They had consequently impoverished their souls, and failed to serve the great cause of culture. And today's youth too seem to be beyond the reach of any higher thought, such as ethics. They only seem to be concerned with utilitarian aspects. Thus a survey of school students in the UK revealed that 49% of them felt that Shakespeare should not be taught in schools because he was'boring', irrelevant to the times', there is no way we can 'live his ideas', he was 'vulgar' etc. What hope of greatness can there be for such a country? What can you say of a people who cannot value their own past intellectual attainments? One thought such things happened only in India, brainwashed by an alien education!
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