Bharat V/s India, DNA of Intellectuals
Bharat-Vs-India, Swami Vivekananda and DNA of Intellectuals
Published: Tuesday, Jan 08,2013, 19:00 IST
By: Mihir Jha
My grandfather used to tell me a story. There used to live a great astrologist and palmist in a village. He could look after the palms and foretell future of anyone as if through the power of prophesy. One day, a gentleman came to him with his son and requested him to examine streaks of his son’s thenar. Upon a careful examination, the Palmist said: - “Your son doesn’t exhibit good traits. He will never be able to earn Vidya”. The gentleman got worried. He asked,” What to do then? I am worried about his future.” The palmist said-“Nothing to worry, get him admitted in an English Medium School”. The gentleman did as suggested. The boy studied in an English Medium School and he became an “Intellectual” and earned a lot of name and fame and became filthy rich. The only thing that he could not earn is “Vidya”.
Before I begin with the DNA of intellectual, let me first clarify this term which used to be central theme of our education system but seems alien to us now “Vidya” which is untranslable in English. Vishnu
Purana: 1.19.41 says- “saa vidhyaa yaa vimuktaye” ~ Education is that which liberates. To elaborate it, as per my understanding“Liberate yourself from Ego, hatred, fetish obsessions, insinuations, ignorance and live in consciousness of GOD”. That was “Bharat”. Time changes ceaselessly. “Bharat” became India. Meaning of education withered and of the many dimensions that education possessed, the spiritual dimension was deliberately, willfully and covertly removed. All that remained was nothing but knowledge of “matter”. A new breed came up and developed in due course of time. It took a lot of time for this breed to develop and finally usurp as the fountainhead of
society with final words on anything and everything under the sun. Now that intellectuals have begun to project themselves in all dimensions of life, it is
Published: Tuesday, Jan 08,2013, 19:00 IST
By: Mihir Jha
My grandfather used to tell me a story. There used to live a great astrologist and palmist in a village. He could look after the palms and foretell future of anyone as if through the power of prophesy. One day, a gentleman came to him with his son and requested him to examine streaks of his son’s thenar. Upon a careful examination, the Palmist said: - “Your son doesn’t exhibit good traits. He will never be able to earn Vidya”. The gentleman got worried. He asked,” What to do then? I am worried about his future.” The palmist said-“Nothing to worry, get him admitted in an English Medium School”. The gentleman did as suggested. The boy studied in an English Medium School and he became an “Intellectual” and earned a lot of name and fame and became filthy rich. The only thing that he could not earn is “Vidya”.
Before I begin with the DNA of intellectual, let me first clarify this term which used to be central theme of our education system but seems alien to us now “Vidya” which is untranslable in English. Vishnu
Purana: 1.19.41 says- “saa vidhyaa yaa vimuktaye” ~ Education is that which liberates. To elaborate it, as per my understanding“Liberate yourself from Ego, hatred, fetish obsessions, insinuations, ignorance and live in consciousness of GOD”. That was “Bharat”. Time changes ceaselessly. “Bharat” became India. Meaning of education withered and of the many dimensions that education possessed, the spiritual dimension was deliberately, willfully and covertly removed. All that remained was nothing but knowledge of “matter”. A new breed came up and developed in due course of time. It took a lot of time for this breed to develop and finally usurp as the fountainhead of
society with final words on anything and everything under the sun. Now that intellectuals have begun to project themselves in all dimensions of life, it is