Jain Students and Mahatma Gandhi

[Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav]

Prof. Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Senior Gandhian Scholar, Professor, Editor and Linguist

Gandhi International Study and Research Institute, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India

Contact No. – 09404955338, 09415777229

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Jain Students and Mahatma Gandhi

The Thakore Saheb expounded fine ideas about education, but was pessimistic about being able to put them into effect in a small State like this. But there is no justification for his pessimism. In fact a State enjoys many advantages in being small. The people of Rajkot are such that it should be easy to win their co-operation. The smaller countries of Europe, like Sweden, Norway and Switzerland—countries about which the world has not heard much because they were not involved in the last War—boast a civilization in no way inferior to that of the bigger countries; they have carried out many successful experiments in the field of education. The problems of big countries are also big. I can well understand what difficulties a person in the position of Lord Reading generally has to contend with. With so many parties and interests to consider, and the field of work so large, what effective work can be done? It is, therefore, only in small countries that promising plans can be easily implemented. The Gujarat Vidyapith has been, in a way, doing what the Thakore Saheb explained. If we run one model institution with ideal students, many more institutions of the same kind will grow out of it. A zero can produce nothing, for it cannot be multiplied, whereas one can grow into many. There is, therefore, no cause for despair. The cause of despair generally lies in the man himself. The atman is its own friend and its own enemy. We may not put any limits to what human effort can achieve. There can be any such limits only if we can see above us any obstruction to upward flight. For rising the sky is the only limit. There is a limit to how low we can fall. God Himself has created such limit in the form of land, rock, water, etc. Hence we need not despair. I advise the people to take the fullest advantage of the Ruler, and should like to say to the latter that he has done much, but much more needs to be done. The Ruler and the subjects should develop the completest mutual understanding and confidence. If it is true to say “As the Ruler, so the subjects”, it is equally true to say “As the subjects, so the Ruler”. If you yourselves do nothing, however much the Ruler may wish to help, he, too, can do nothing. If you let hypocrisy, flattery and wickedness govern your lives; the Ruler’s life is bound to mirror those evils. I have to mention this because the saying, “Salt is better even than honey”, is still true.

Reference:

 

Navajivan, 1-3-1925