Academic Degree 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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Academic Degree and Mahatma Gandhi

 

I would like to tell the students, boys and girls, that humility is the primary thing to be acquired. One who is not humble cannot put one’s learning to proper use. What does it matter if he has obtained double first class or has stood first? One does not achieve everything by just passing an examination. It is possible that it may help in securing a good job or a good marriage alliance. But, if learning is to be put to proper use, if it is to be used only for the sake of service, one should acquire more and more humility every day. No service is possible without it. I know quite a few students who are proud of their B.A. Hons or engineering degrees. The villagers would not even bother to look at them. They would say: “How are we concerned with degrees? How are you going to share our troubles?” Nowhere in the seven lakhs Indian villages would one find an instance of someone winning the affection of the villagers because he possessed high academic degrees. Man should not use his intelligence and spiritual power to earn his livelihood and sustain himself. For that purpose God has provided him with hands and legs, and with these he should do some common labour and earn his bread. Can learning be used for earning thousands of rupees? In the past even lawyers rendered their services free of charge.

This practice is prevalent even today. A barrister cannot file a suit for his fees, for; his is supposed to be a profession of service. The same is true of vaids. To which student, boy or girl, can I say that the wealth of learning is meant for service, And that too in Sind? Here they try to imitate the Sahibs and the Parsis. When I saw the girls during my first visit to Sind I wondered how there were so many Parsi girls around. Later on I came to know that they belonged to the Amil class. I had come in contact with the Sindhis in South Africa. But I had no occasion to know Sindhi women since they never brought their women with them. I saw Sindhi women only when I came to Sind. I was familiar with the name ‘bhai-bandh’. But I was rather scared by the name ‘Amil’. I wondered what kind of people they would be. When I saw the Amils I found them exactly like the Sahibs. Let no one be under the impression that I am running down the Sahibs. It is only proper Sahibs should appear like Sahibs. If others try to imitate the Sahibs they would meet the fate of the jackdaw who posed as a peacock in Aesop’s Fables. A crow is all right as it is but appears ridiculous when it forgets itself and imitates someone else. Thus, how nice would it be if we confine ourselves to the Indian way of living. It was not Dadabhai but Lord Curzon who said that the annual per capita income in India was Rs. 40. This average includes the income of the millionaires also. This means that 30 million have no income at all. They sustain themselves by begging and eat only the crumbs of bread they get. How should we live in a country which is so poor? We will find that we are not wealthy enough to live like Sahibs if we look at our average per capita income. We must realize that we can look well-clad only if we wear khadi. If the girls are keen on silk saris and laces they would be at the mercy of the boys. Here, the boys accept the brides only if they bring thousands of rupees and with this money they want to go to Oxford to get degrees. 1  

Someone came to see me today. I forget his name. He mentioned peasants. I said if I had my way our Governor-General would be a peasant; our Prime Minister would be a peasant. In my childhood I learnt a poem which says “O farmer, you are the king, the master of the whole world”. What would we eat if the peasant did not produce food? But today we have made him a slave. What can a peasant do? Must he acquire academic degrees such as B.A. and M.A.? If he does that he will be ruined. He will be no better for wielding the pickaxe. If the man who produced food grain out of the earth becomes our Chief, our Prime Minister, the face of India will change. 2

 

References:                                  

1. Harijanbandhu, 22-7-1934
2. Speech at Prayer Meeting, January 29, 1948