Meaning of Nayee Talim 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

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Meaning of Nayee Talim and Mahatma Gandhi 

 

Nayee Talim means teaching through craft. That basic craft has to be selected in the light of the conditions and produce of the region. For instance, it would not be proper to have khadi as a means of teaching in a region where cotton does not grow, but has to be imported for the purpose. If Nayee Talim can be proved to be self-supporting through khadi, then the same thing can be applied to other industries too. What I mean by making education self-sustaining is this. Just as the expense on food and clothing for the children studying in Government schools is borne by their parents, similarly, in Nayee Talim schools, parents will have to bear the expenses on food and clothing of their children. But the expenses incurred in the schools of today on books and fees will be saved. There should be no place for books in Nayee Talim. Initially some expenses may have to be incurred on cotton, carding-bow, and takli and so on.

Afterwards the only expenses will be on the teachers’ salaries, stationery, and the salaries of peons, etc., if they have to be engaged, Suppose, there are thirty boys in one school. They will handle all the processes right from collecting cotton from the field to spinning and weaving the yarn into cloth. Through every process the teacher will educate them so that their intellect sharpens day by day. This will result in students’ making ever new discoveries in the methods employed in the khadi industry which will make it more productive and profitable. The cloth produced by students will be purchased by their parents at any price. It will be the teacher’s duty to see that through his students he creates awareness in their parents that they may not even touch foreign and mill-made cloth. We should also see that an atmosphere of self-sufficiency in cloth and khadi is created. We shall have to create an atmosphere of our own. For bringing khadi to the stage it has reached today, we had to make efforts and create the climate. As a result no one now can root out khadi. The same thing can be said of Nayee Talim also. If the teacher is unable to create the necessary atmosphere, Nayee Talim cannot become self-reliant and cannot make headway. If he succeeds in creating the atmosphere and sharpening the intellect of the students, then the entire expenditure from beginning to end on Nayee Talim can be met from the sale of cloth produced by students. Students will be equipped for earning when they leave our schools. We do not promise them jobs. The Government also does not promise employment to students who are trained at enormous expense in Government schools. But our students will be brighter than the students of Government schools and will easily find occupations for them. We must remember that when atmosphere had to be created for Government schools, they had to put in considerable effort in spite of the way being clear. The atmosphere we have to create is for revival. That which has been destroyed has to be revived in a new way and we look upon it as a peaceful way of attaining swaraj. It should be easy to do this. We do not find it easy as we have not gone to the villages with the correct attitude and have made no real attempts at all. Now we have Nayee Talim.

If it does not work a miracle and develop power, then what is it good for? We do not realize the full significance of boys and girls being entrusted to our care from their childhood and undergoing craft based education in our schools for seven years or more. And the modern education which is being imparted to us teaches us that schooling can never become self-supporting. This creates some confusion in our minds. It is my firm belief that if Nayee Talim cannot become self-supporting, then the teachers do not understand what it is. In my view, amongst other characteristics self-reliance is the most important characteristic of Nayee Talim. If this is so for the education of boys and girls, then adult education must also be self-supporting. If we believe that it is difficult to convince adults about the value of education, then I have to say that this is nothing but an old illusion. And the teaching of the three R’s in adult education is no part of our Nayee Talim. The meaning of adult education is that we will give them, through their own language, all-round education of a pure and socially useful life. And if they do not easily become self-supporting, in my view there is some serious defect in that education. We should not also forget that complete cooperation should be the basis from the very beginning. Those who know the full meaning of co-operation will raise no doubts about self-reliance. 1

Nayee Talim means training our boys and girls through the medium of such handicrafts as are to be found in India and thus contributing to their growth and development. There should be harmonious development of the body, mind and soul. If everyone is given this type of training, there would be no fighting among ourselves such as is going on in the country today. Countries like England, Germany, Japan, Italy, etc., rely on the sword. Hence training of their children also follows the same pattern. You would be convinced if I explained all the points to you. These countries train their people in the light of the course they want them to follow. Under such training there is almost no scope for spiritual development. It emphasizes only physical development and the people with such training are appointed to high posts in the army and the government departments. 2

 

References:

 

1. Khadi Jagat, November 1945
2. Bihar Samachar, 24-4-1947