Interacting with Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, when he visited Toc H Institute of Science & Technology, Arakkunnam on 23rd July 2009 to launch the J.C. Bose Centre for Research & Development.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
With Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Interacting with Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, when he visited Toc H Institute of Science & Technology, Arakkunnam on 23rd July 2009 to launch the J.C. Bose Centre for Research & Development.
EDUCATION FOR PEACE
‘Peace Education’ is widely talked about in recent years. Though Peace Education is becoming popular in recent years, it is amusing to think that war education has been there in existence from time immemorial. Polemology, the science of war was taught in College and Academies. Aristotle mentions about it and says that it teaches the military profession of preparing for and waging wars. The ‘Mahabharata’ the greatest ancient Indian Classical Epic, believed to have come into being in 5th Century BC, refers to an ‘Academy of Martial Arts’ where a great expert trainer ‘Drona’ taught the princes the art of waging wars. But there had never been until the recent past, colleges or academies teaching peace. But during the recent years, Irenology, the study of peace is getting serious consideration.
These days peace is so widely talked about because peace is something that disappears in all spheres of life. Peace evades mankind. There are ethnic, racial, religious and regional disputes, clashes and violence at all different parts of the world. Colour discrimination, caste segregation, political hostility, racial superiority and religious fanaticism lead to violence all over the world. Violence and terrorism cannot be confined to any region of the world. ‘Terrorism anywhere is terrorism everywhere’. The advanced countries thought that they were safe and free from terrorism and violence. But the destruction of the World Trade Centre on 11th September, the dark day in the history of mankind made the world realize that no place in the world is free from terrorism and violence. As violence threatens human existence, there is a carving for peace everywhere in the world. This makes peace education more relevant and important these days.
Before talking about peace education, we have to define what is peace. Spinoza defines peace as a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence and justice. Quite often, peace is defined as the absence of war. But this is a negative definition. It tells what peace is not. Quincy Wright in his book, ‘A study of War’ defines peace as the condition of a Community in which order and justice prevail internally among its members and externally in its relations with other communities. This view reflects the people’s aspiration for social harmony based on love and humanistic values.
A proper study of peace examines all the categories of human relationship at the local, national and international levels. It examines civil, structural and international violence. There are conflicts in areas of labour – management relations, student politics at colleges and Universities, ethnical rivalries, intercommunal relations and assertion of cultural identity culminates in wars and wide-range destruction of men and materials.
In this connection let us think of the psychology of violence. There is difference of opinion among psychologists regarding the genesis and development of aggressive behaviour. Some psychologists feel that aggression is due to the operation of some instinctual energy which is innate. Some other psychologists feel that aggression is an interpersonal response trait which develops in an individual out of his dynamic reaction with the environment. The view that aggression is innate instinct to man is supported by Freudian psychologists and also by the studies of Lorenz on aggression in animals. Mc Daugal suggested that the innate instinct of aggression is responsible for war-like behaviour. These psychologists hold that the expression of aggression is healthy and that its repression is unhealthy. But many psychologists like Dollard, Durbin and Bowley regard aggression as originating in response to some frustration. So they regard aggression as a reactive behaviour and not as a primary phenomenon. This theory has been tested by Dollard Miller and Hovland. The current researches also regard aggression not as innate and necessary, but as a learned behaviour and so modifiable. This theory stresses the relevance of peace education. Klineberg points out that people may learn to be aggressive on non-aggressive in a frustrating situation. Their aggression may be reinforced if it brings success or satisfaction or it may be extinguished if it goes unrewarded. It has been experimentally demonstrated that aggression may be learnt by modeling, imitation or by conditioning. So Peace Education is both relevant and significant.
Social Psychologists have focused on civil, structural and international violence. Civil violence is internal war within a state. It includes domestic group attacks, coups, civil violence that originates from lack of political, economic and cultural freedom and equity. Structural violence is built into social structures. Economic exploitation, discrimination against minorities and ethnic groups, the process of under-development and unequal distribution of resources and opportunities lead to structural violence. International violence leads to wars.
Peace Education can be conceived as a synthesis of two major educational trends of developing morals and values through education and by making the students acknowledge the emergence of global society. For this purpose the curriculum should be modified so as to make it related to human values. We have to drive home the idea that conflict, misunderstanding and aggression are ingredient characteristics of people who do not understand what others basically are, feel or want. For this purpose orientation programmes should be held for the teachers and the community has to be educated through non-formal ways.
Further lasting peace can be attained only through social actions. When we think of violence, we usually think only of bloodshed; we do not think of violent social structure and social injustice. Poverty is violence. Poverty in the mist of affluence is violence raised to shameful extent. A just social order is a pre requisite for lasting peace. Only an egalitarian society can ensure lasting peace. Unjust social structures are to be fought against. Any peace project, if it is to be successful should embrace poverty alleviation schemes.
Psychological approaches to Peace making should ensure effective communication, improvement of self-esteem, providing good models, eradicating poverty, enabling people to appreciate differences in values and enhancement of empathy.
These days peace is so widely talked about because peace is something that disappears in all spheres of life. Peace evades mankind. There are ethnic, racial, religious and regional disputes, clashes and violence at all different parts of the world. Colour discrimination, caste segregation, political hostility, racial superiority and religious fanaticism lead to violence all over the world. Violence and terrorism cannot be confined to any region of the world. ‘Terrorism anywhere is terrorism everywhere’. The advanced countries thought that they were safe and free from terrorism and violence. But the destruction of the World Trade Centre on 11th September, the dark day in the history of mankind made the world realize that no place in the world is free from terrorism and violence. As violence threatens human existence, there is a carving for peace everywhere in the world. This makes peace education more relevant and important these days.
Before talking about peace education, we have to define what is peace. Spinoza defines peace as a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence and justice. Quite often, peace is defined as the absence of war. But this is a negative definition. It tells what peace is not. Quincy Wright in his book, ‘A study of War’ defines peace as the condition of a Community in which order and justice prevail internally among its members and externally in its relations with other communities. This view reflects the people’s aspiration for social harmony based on love and humanistic values.
A proper study of peace examines all the categories of human relationship at the local, national and international levels. It examines civil, structural and international violence. There are conflicts in areas of labour – management relations, student politics at colleges and Universities, ethnical rivalries, intercommunal relations and assertion of cultural identity culminates in wars and wide-range destruction of men and materials.
In this connection let us think of the psychology of violence. There is difference of opinion among psychologists regarding the genesis and development of aggressive behaviour. Some psychologists feel that aggression is due to the operation of some instinctual energy which is innate. Some other psychologists feel that aggression is an interpersonal response trait which develops in an individual out of his dynamic reaction with the environment. The view that aggression is innate instinct to man is supported by Freudian psychologists and also by the studies of Lorenz on aggression in animals. Mc Daugal suggested that the innate instinct of aggression is responsible for war-like behaviour. These psychologists hold that the expression of aggression is healthy and that its repression is unhealthy. But many psychologists like Dollard, Durbin and Bowley regard aggression as originating in response to some frustration. So they regard aggression as a reactive behaviour and not as a primary phenomenon. This theory has been tested by Dollard Miller and Hovland. The current researches also regard aggression not as innate and necessary, but as a learned behaviour and so modifiable. This theory stresses the relevance of peace education. Klineberg points out that people may learn to be aggressive on non-aggressive in a frustrating situation. Their aggression may be reinforced if it brings success or satisfaction or it may be extinguished if it goes unrewarded. It has been experimentally demonstrated that aggression may be learnt by modeling, imitation or by conditioning. So Peace Education is both relevant and significant.
Social Psychologists have focused on civil, structural and international violence. Civil violence is internal war within a state. It includes domestic group attacks, coups, civil violence that originates from lack of political, economic and cultural freedom and equity. Structural violence is built into social structures. Economic exploitation, discrimination against minorities and ethnic groups, the process of under-development and unequal distribution of resources and opportunities lead to structural violence. International violence leads to wars.
Peace Education can be conceived as a synthesis of two major educational trends of developing morals and values through education and by making the students acknowledge the emergence of global society. For this purpose the curriculum should be modified so as to make it related to human values. We have to drive home the idea that conflict, misunderstanding and aggression are ingredient characteristics of people who do not understand what others basically are, feel or want. For this purpose orientation programmes should be held for the teachers and the community has to be educated through non-formal ways.
Further lasting peace can be attained only through social actions. When we think of violence, we usually think only of bloodshed; we do not think of violent social structure and social injustice. Poverty is violence. Poverty in the mist of affluence is violence raised to shameful extent. A just social order is a pre requisite for lasting peace. Only an egalitarian society can ensure lasting peace. Unjust social structures are to be fought against. Any peace project, if it is to be successful should embrace poverty alleviation schemes.
Psychological approaches to Peace making should ensure effective communication, improvement of self-esteem, providing good models, eradicating poverty, enabling people to appreciate differences in values and enhancement of empathy.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
“Where is Christ, we have lost in Christmas”
First published in 'Indian Express' (Cochin Edition) dated December 22, 1994
CHRISTMAS is the greatest festival of the Western World. The word ‘Christmas’ has its origin from the phrase in Old English, “Christes Maesse” which means ‘Christ’s Mass’. Christmas brings to our mind colours and gaiety, carols and carnivals, lights and splendour, candies and cakes, festal hymns and festivities, beautiful greetings cards with sweet words sent with warmth and love, decorated ever-green trees, lovely gifts, lovingly given and the figure of Santa Claus that excites the children.
The Christian festival of Christmas commemorating the birth of Christ began to be celebrated in Rome by A.D.336. Though the date of the birth of Christ is not known, it was during the 4th Century that most of the Eastern Churches adopted 25th December for the festival of Christmas.
The traditional customs connected with Christmas came from different sources. The celebration of the birth of Christ coincided with the pagan agricultural festival and the solar worship in mid-winter. In the Roman world, 17th December was the time for merry making and exchange of gifts. 25th December was regarded as the birth date of the Iranian God Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. The Romans celebrated 1st January as the new year day, when they decorated their houses with greenery and lights and gave gifts to the children and the poor. Food and fellowship, cakes and candies, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings were different aspects of these festivals. Firs, the symbol of warmth and light, the symbol lasting life, have always been associated with the winter festivals of the pagans. When the Roman Emperor, Constantine became a Christian, all the traditional customs of the pagan mid-winter festivals became the customs of Christmas.
The evergreen which is the symbol of survival has been associated with Christmas since Middle ages. During the Christmas, the evergreen fir is decorated with lights and ornaments. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths and garlands, as symbols of eternal life was an ancient custom of the Egyptians, the Chinese and the Hebrews. Tree-worship was common among the pagan Europeans. The Scandinavians had the custom of decorating the houses and barns with evergreen at the New Year to scare away the devil. The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. It was introduced into England in the early 19th Century and the Christmas tree was popularized in mid 19th century by the German Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.
Santa Claus is the greatest attraction for children, during Christmas. The name is said to have derived from Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in the early 4th Century. There are many legends about Santa Claus. He rescued three maidens who seemed destined for prostitution as their father could not provide them with dowries, by dropping bags of gold coins through the window of their house. Another story is that he restored the lives of three murdered boys whose bodies were pickled in a barrel of brine. In England it is said that Santa Claus enters the houses from roofs through chimney and deposits gifts for the children, in shoes and stockings.
Though Christmas began to be celebrated right from the 4th Century, the celebrations acquired the dynamic dimensions, with colour, splendour and show only from the beginning of the 20th century when the shop owners decorated and illuminated their shops during the Christmas season to attract more customers. Thus Christmas was made an occasion for the promotion of sales. With the commercialization of Christmas, the spirit behind the celebration is lost sight of.
The message of Christmas is the message of peace and love. During the First World War, fierce fighting was going on at Flanders between the British and the German soldiers. They have been fighting for several months. It was then, that the Christmas came. Suddenly both sides under the influence of a common memory declared the gospel of brother-hood and stopped fighting on that day. The day of Christmas brought them peace though for a day. It was like a ray of hope in the midst of chaos and confusion. But it lasted only for a day. The next day they again started striking and killing one another. Our thoughts of the message of Christmas do not inspire us to seek lasting peace.
Browning writes :
“Shaking a fist at him with one fierce arm
Signing himself with the other because of Christ
Whose sad face on the cross sees only this
After the passion of a thousand years”.
We have passed through the century which witnessed two great World Wars resulting in diabolic and devastating destruction of men and materials. Even the disastrous and bitter experiences of the World Wars have not deterred the world leaders. Another World War will end up in a holocaust.
Ethnic clashes, Communal riots, racial discrimination, hatred and bitterness and the resulting terrorism and bomb blasts mar the peaceful atmosphere of the world. Rabindranath Tagore writes :
“The world today is wild with the delirium of hatred,
The conflicts are cruel and unceasing in anguish,
Crooked are its paths tangled its bonds of greed”.
The world is growing materialistic. About King Henry I, who little cared for religion, it is said that he chose his chaplain for the speed in saying mass. Once when Winston Churchill was told that he should try to know Gandhiji better as he is ‘a man of God’, he answered, “I have made more Bishops than anybody since the time of St. Augustine”. When Stalin was asked to make up with the Vatican, he asked, “How many divisions of armed force, has the Pope?”. Here the people are guided by materialistic concerns, designs and desires.
Though the message of Christmas is the Gospel of Peace, it is peace that we miss in the world. Lamenting the terrible plight of the world, T.S.Eliot says, “The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries bring us farther from God and nearer to the dust” and he asks in disgust.
“Where is the life we have lost in living ?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge ?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ?
On this occasion when we celebrate Christmas with all its colour and splendour, shall we not ask, “Where is Christ we have lost in Christmas?”. In this context Oscar Wilde’s statement, though exaggerated and cynical is worth recalling. He said that there were Christians before Christ but, none after him except St. Francis of Assisi.
CHRISTMAS is the greatest festival of the Western World. The word ‘Christmas’ has its origin from the phrase in Old English, “Christes Maesse” which means ‘Christ’s Mass’. Christmas brings to our mind colours and gaiety, carols and carnivals, lights and splendour, candies and cakes, festal hymns and festivities, beautiful greetings cards with sweet words sent with warmth and love, decorated ever-green trees, lovely gifts, lovingly given and the figure of Santa Claus that excites the children.
The Christian festival of Christmas commemorating the birth of Christ began to be celebrated in Rome by A.D.336. Though the date of the birth of Christ is not known, it was during the 4th Century that most of the Eastern Churches adopted 25th December for the festival of Christmas.
The traditional customs connected with Christmas came from different sources. The celebration of the birth of Christ coincided with the pagan agricultural festival and the solar worship in mid-winter. In the Roman world, 17th December was the time for merry making and exchange of gifts. 25th December was regarded as the birth date of the Iranian God Mithra, the Sun of Righteousness. The Romans celebrated 1st January as the new year day, when they decorated their houses with greenery and lights and gave gifts to the children and the poor. Food and fellowship, cakes and candies, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings were different aspects of these festivals. Firs, the symbol of warmth and light, the symbol lasting life, have always been associated with the winter festivals of the pagans. When the Roman Emperor, Constantine became a Christian, all the traditional customs of the pagan mid-winter festivals became the customs of Christmas.
The evergreen which is the symbol of survival has been associated with Christmas since Middle ages. During the Christmas, the evergreen fir is decorated with lights and ornaments. The use of evergreen trees, wreaths and garlands, as symbols of eternal life was an ancient custom of the Egyptians, the Chinese and the Hebrews. Tree-worship was common among the pagan Europeans. The Scandinavians had the custom of decorating the houses and barns with evergreen at the New Year to scare away the devil. The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany. It was introduced into England in the early 19th Century and the Christmas tree was popularized in mid 19th century by the German Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.
Santa Claus is the greatest attraction for children, during Christmas. The name is said to have derived from Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra in the early 4th Century. There are many legends about Santa Claus. He rescued three maidens who seemed destined for prostitution as their father could not provide them with dowries, by dropping bags of gold coins through the window of their house. Another story is that he restored the lives of three murdered boys whose bodies were pickled in a barrel of brine. In England it is said that Santa Claus enters the houses from roofs through chimney and deposits gifts for the children, in shoes and stockings.
Though Christmas began to be celebrated right from the 4th Century, the celebrations acquired the dynamic dimensions, with colour, splendour and show only from the beginning of the 20th century when the shop owners decorated and illuminated their shops during the Christmas season to attract more customers. Thus Christmas was made an occasion for the promotion of sales. With the commercialization of Christmas, the spirit behind the celebration is lost sight of.
The message of Christmas is the message of peace and love. During the First World War, fierce fighting was going on at Flanders between the British and the German soldiers. They have been fighting for several months. It was then, that the Christmas came. Suddenly both sides under the influence of a common memory declared the gospel of brother-hood and stopped fighting on that day. The day of Christmas brought them peace though for a day. It was like a ray of hope in the midst of chaos and confusion. But it lasted only for a day. The next day they again started striking and killing one another. Our thoughts of the message of Christmas do not inspire us to seek lasting peace.
Browning writes :
“Shaking a fist at him with one fierce arm
Signing himself with the other because of Christ
Whose sad face on the cross sees only this
After the passion of a thousand years”.
We have passed through the century which witnessed two great World Wars resulting in diabolic and devastating destruction of men and materials. Even the disastrous and bitter experiences of the World Wars have not deterred the world leaders. Another World War will end up in a holocaust.
Ethnic clashes, Communal riots, racial discrimination, hatred and bitterness and the resulting terrorism and bomb blasts mar the peaceful atmosphere of the world. Rabindranath Tagore writes :
“The world today is wild with the delirium of hatred,
The conflicts are cruel and unceasing in anguish,
Crooked are its paths tangled its bonds of greed”.
The world is growing materialistic. About King Henry I, who little cared for religion, it is said that he chose his chaplain for the speed in saying mass. Once when Winston Churchill was told that he should try to know Gandhiji better as he is ‘a man of God’, he answered, “I have made more Bishops than anybody since the time of St. Augustine”. When Stalin was asked to make up with the Vatican, he asked, “How many divisions of armed force, has the Pope?”. Here the people are guided by materialistic concerns, designs and desires.
Though the message of Christmas is the Gospel of Peace, it is peace that we miss in the world. Lamenting the terrible plight of the world, T.S.Eliot says, “The cycles of heaven in twenty centuries bring us farther from God and nearer to the dust” and he asks in disgust.
“Where is the life we have lost in living ?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge ?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information ?
On this occasion when we celebrate Christmas with all its colour and splendour, shall we not ask, “Where is Christ we have lost in Christmas?”. In this context Oscar Wilde’s statement, though exaggerated and cynical is worth recalling. He said that there were Christians before Christ but, none after him except St. Francis of Assisi.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Acknowledgement
This is an acknowledgement received from Central Dallas Ministries on 25th June 2006, sent to me by Ketie Golding, Development Coordinator, Central Dallas Ministries, USA.
Monday, December 21, 2009
“Forests precede civilization, but deserts succeed them”
[First published in 1992 in German ‘Adult Education & Development’ published from Germany]
“Forests precede civilization, but deserts succeed them”. This is an old French saying. Today we realise the truth of the statement more than anybody else in any other century. For more than a hundred years after the Industrial Revolution, people were not aware of the hazards of industrial development. We believed that progress was possible only through the maximization of technological innovation and the increased exploitation of natural resources. “Industrialise or perish” became the cherished slogan of the people. Factories and industrial units became the symbols of development and progress.
It was the dropping of atom bombs on Japan during the Second World War which set man to think for the first time about the havocs and horrors that Science could bring to mankind. Later the industrial disasters of the 1950’s and 1960’s reaffirmed man’s fear of the hazards of unregulated industrial development.
In 1953 many people at Minamita, a village in Japan, began to suffer from unexplained neurological disorders ranging from paralysis to madness. It took six years to discover that the neurological disorders were caused by mercury waste which had been dumped into the sea since the 1940s by a chemical plant. The mercury found its way into the human body through fish and marine organisms. The dumping continued till 1971 when it was realised that the poisoning was the direct result of the waste dumping. This was a great industrial disaster which claimed many victims. Yet it is only one of the many industrial disasters taking place all over the world.
The industrial disaster of Bhopal in India is perhaps the worst of its kind in the whole history of industrial accidents. The mild wintry night of Bhopal on 2nd December 1984 turned out to be a nightmare of havoc, panic, sickness and death. Thousands of men, women and children tragically lost their lives. Many were doomed to sudden death; many more were doomed to a life of darkness through the loss of eyesight; and very many became destitute. It was all because of the accidental escape of the poisonous Methyle isocyanate from Union Carbide in Bhopal.
The Third World is a late starter in the field of industrialisation and so the Third World nations were very eager to industrialise themselves as fast as possible. In their haste to industrialise they did not pause to think of environmental protection and ecological balance. The Bhopal tragedy shocked us to our senses.
The nuclear accidents of Three Mile Island in the U.S.A and Chernobyl in the former U.S.S.R shocked the world and made us more aware of how destructive nuclear power stations can be.
Once the people became aware of the industrial hazards, they became very conscious and cautious of the problems of pollution. Many voluntary movements such as the Green Movement have established themselves all over the world. Many movements, through mass education, have succeeded in resisting Government decisions to establish highly pollutant industries and huge dams which could produce ecological imbalance.
In the State of Kerala in India, the Government decided to construct a huge dam at Silent Valley for a hydro-electric power project. The construction of the dam would have submerged vast areas of dense rain forest which would have created an ecological imbalance. The organizations and the people concerned about the protection of the environment therefore protested against the Government’s proposal. The Shastra Sahithya Parishat (a non-government organisation engaged in promoting Science education among the common people) led the protest. By means of demonstrations, massive rallies, street threatre and educational programmes, they made the people aware of the dangers of constructing a dam at that site. Thus the public were alerted and protested against the Government and finally the Government had to yield to public pressure and dropped the scheme completely. This is an instance of massive movement organized through mass education for the protection of the environment.
In an age of extensive industrialisation, the protection of the environment is a serious matter of public concern. Environmental studies should therefore become an integral part of the Adult Education Programme.
This does not mean that we have to abandon industrialisation completely. It only means that we have to be more cautious. The poet William Cowper once said, “Man made the Town and God made the Country”. Those who are fed up with city life would naturally and nostalgically long for de-urbanization and afforestation. The quality of life in a rural area is much better than that in a highly polluted and crowded industrial city. E.F.Schumacher says, “The pressure and strain of living is very much less in, say, Burma than it is in the United States. In spite of the fact that the amount of labour saving machinery used in the former country is only a minute fraction of the amount used in the latter.” But a critic of the poet Cowper said that if the poet has been lost in the wilderness of the dark jungles of Africa, he would have fervently longed for the man-made towns. So we cannot do away with Science and Technology. We have to strike a balance. We thus have to educate the common people about the hazards of unregulated industrial expansion by multi-national investors for the well-being of the people. Any concept of development should be man-oriented, promoting the healthy conditions of life and the well-being of the people. Any concept of development should be man-oriented, promoting the healthy conditions of life and the well-being of the people at large. The adult educators engaged in human resource development have to carry this message to the common people and thereby alert people against any environmental hazards.
“Forests precede civilization, but deserts succeed them”. This is an old French saying. Today we realise the truth of the statement more than anybody else in any other century. For more than a hundred years after the Industrial Revolution, people were not aware of the hazards of industrial development. We believed that progress was possible only through the maximization of technological innovation and the increased exploitation of natural resources. “Industrialise or perish” became the cherished slogan of the people. Factories and industrial units became the symbols of development and progress.
It was the dropping of atom bombs on Japan during the Second World War which set man to think for the first time about the havocs and horrors that Science could bring to mankind. Later the industrial disasters of the 1950’s and 1960’s reaffirmed man’s fear of the hazards of unregulated industrial development.
In 1953 many people at Minamita, a village in Japan, began to suffer from unexplained neurological disorders ranging from paralysis to madness. It took six years to discover that the neurological disorders were caused by mercury waste which had been dumped into the sea since the 1940s by a chemical plant. The mercury found its way into the human body through fish and marine organisms. The dumping continued till 1971 when it was realised that the poisoning was the direct result of the waste dumping. This was a great industrial disaster which claimed many victims. Yet it is only one of the many industrial disasters taking place all over the world.
The industrial disaster of Bhopal in India is perhaps the worst of its kind in the whole history of industrial accidents. The mild wintry night of Bhopal on 2nd December 1984 turned out to be a nightmare of havoc, panic, sickness and death. Thousands of men, women and children tragically lost their lives. Many were doomed to sudden death; many more were doomed to a life of darkness through the loss of eyesight; and very many became destitute. It was all because of the accidental escape of the poisonous Methyle isocyanate from Union Carbide in Bhopal.
The Third World is a late starter in the field of industrialisation and so the Third World nations were very eager to industrialise themselves as fast as possible. In their haste to industrialise they did not pause to think of environmental protection and ecological balance. The Bhopal tragedy shocked us to our senses.
The nuclear accidents of Three Mile Island in the U.S.A and Chernobyl in the former U.S.S.R shocked the world and made us more aware of how destructive nuclear power stations can be.
Once the people became aware of the industrial hazards, they became very conscious and cautious of the problems of pollution. Many voluntary movements such as the Green Movement have established themselves all over the world. Many movements, through mass education, have succeeded in resisting Government decisions to establish highly pollutant industries and huge dams which could produce ecological imbalance.
In the State of Kerala in India, the Government decided to construct a huge dam at Silent Valley for a hydro-electric power project. The construction of the dam would have submerged vast areas of dense rain forest which would have created an ecological imbalance. The organizations and the people concerned about the protection of the environment therefore protested against the Government’s proposal. The Shastra Sahithya Parishat (a non-government organisation engaged in promoting Science education among the common people) led the protest. By means of demonstrations, massive rallies, street threatre and educational programmes, they made the people aware of the dangers of constructing a dam at that site. Thus the public were alerted and protested against the Government and finally the Government had to yield to public pressure and dropped the scheme completely. This is an instance of massive movement organized through mass education for the protection of the environment.
In an age of extensive industrialisation, the protection of the environment is a serious matter of public concern. Environmental studies should therefore become an integral part of the Adult Education Programme.
This does not mean that we have to abandon industrialisation completely. It only means that we have to be more cautious. The poet William Cowper once said, “Man made the Town and God made the Country”. Those who are fed up with city life would naturally and nostalgically long for de-urbanization and afforestation. The quality of life in a rural area is much better than that in a highly polluted and crowded industrial city. E.F.Schumacher says, “The pressure and strain of living is very much less in, say, Burma than it is in the United States. In spite of the fact that the amount of labour saving machinery used in the former country is only a minute fraction of the amount used in the latter.” But a critic of the poet Cowper said that if the poet has been lost in the wilderness of the dark jungles of Africa, he would have fervently longed for the man-made towns. So we cannot do away with Science and Technology. We have to strike a balance. We thus have to educate the common people about the hazards of unregulated industrial expansion by multi-national investors for the well-being of the people. Any concept of development should be man-oriented, promoting the healthy conditions of life and the well-being of the people. Any concept of development should be man-oriented, promoting the healthy conditions of life and the well-being of the people at large. The adult educators engaged in human resource development have to carry this message to the common people and thereby alert people against any environmental hazards.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
“Yes I do have to do something for the needy”
I was visiting quite a few educational institutions at different levels in the U.K. On one of those days, I got up very early in the morning, as I had to travel quite a long distance to reach the High School, I was to visit on that day. Those days, every day was a day of excitement going to new institutions, meeting new faces, interacting with persons of different age groups and different faiths and thereby enriching myself with varied experiences and new discoveries.
On that fine morning, I walked into the portals of a high school near London, along with a friend of mine who accompanied me. There was a fairly big crowd in the school. Everybody there seemed to be very busy. I was told, that it was an ‘Open Day’ of the school when anybody can walk into the school, without any prior permission. Normally you cannot have such easy access to any school there. You should have the prior permission of the Principal, otherwise you will not even be admitted to the campus.
An ‘Open Day’ in a School is a day when the prospective parents can visit the school and assess for themselves if the school is good enough for their children. Hence on such a day the school puts up their best and does everything possible to create a very good impression in the minds of the parents about the school, so that they may send their children to the school next year. So the school authorities would try to show their best. The cordiality and hospitality shown to the visitors are quire impressive.
As I reached the school, I was well received and taken to the Principal’s room. He was literally very busy. He was expected to meet every visitor and please them well. So the Principal didn’t have much time to spend with me. After the exchange pleasantries, the Principal called the Head Girl of the School and gave her the duty of taking me to every room of the school, introduce me to teachers and to explain things to me. I came out of the Principal’s room along with the Head Girl.
Then she took me to every room one after the other. When we reached the first class room, she introduced me to the teacher saying, “Here is Prof. Joseph who has come all the way from India to meet us all.” Then I interacted with the teacher. The head girl was listening to everything that I was telling. When we went to the remaining classrooms, my job was easy because the head girl gave a detailed introduction of me, from what she had gathered from my interaction with the teacher, that I met first. Once we finished visiting the whole school, the head girl told me that she had a presentation to make before a small assembly of students and teachers in the afternoon.
“What is it about”, I asked with curiosity.
“It’s about my experience in Rhodesia, a few months back.”, she told proudly.
“Experience in Rhodesia !” were you there in Rhodesia ?”
“Yes, she told, “I was there a couple of weeks.”
“How did you happen to go there? Do you have anybody there?, I asked.
“No, it was as a part of voluntary service.”, she started explaining. “It was announced in the school that there is going to be work camp in Rhodesia for helping the poor people, by constructing new roads, providing small shelters, etc. Students who are interested in going to the labour camp may volunteer. I thought that it is a good opportunity, so I gave my name.”
“Then the school might have met your expenses of travel?”, I asked.
“No, the school didn’t meet any expense.” was her reply.
“So, did you get it from your parents.” I asked because I had to cancel many of my plans to participate in International Conferences as I could not find the expenses of travel.
“Not from the parents.” She replied, “they don’t have money for such things; nor are they very rich.”
“Then where did you get the money from”, I was curious.
“It is funny ! I had to work and earn money, myself.” She said.
“What sort of work did you do?”, I asked.
“All sorts of works”, she said, “whatever came my way. After school hours I went to work as a sales girl, to wash the plates in restaurants etc.”
I was surprised to hear that she was prepared to do any sort of work and never felt ashamed of that as our people here. That too for going to do social work.
“Did you enjoy your days in Rhodesia ?” I enquired.
“Yes, I did to some extent”, she said.
“Were you well taken care of there?”, I was again curious.
“You can’t say that”. she replied, we were taken care of as well as they could, because we were working among the very poor people who couldn’t do much for us even though they wanted”.
“Was it a tough life?”, I asked.
“Yes, it was a very hard task working in the hot sun and sheltered at night in camps.” She said, “It was not a cosy life.”
“While you were working hard in your country to earn money to go to Rhodesia, did you know that life there would be very hard.” I asked.
“Yes, I knew that.” She said, “I knew that from the students who went there last year.”
“Still why did you go?”, I probed.
The girl’s reply surprised me.
“I went because I do owe something to the poor starving people who are my fellow-beings.” was her reply.
“Yes, I have to do something for the needy.” She repeated.
I was stunned. How could this little girl of 14 to 15 could speak so soberly and seriously with so much of social commitment !
I was reminded of the words of Swami Vivekananda that those that do not care for the poor are traitors. Having been educated at the expense of others, if you don’t heed for them, you are to be called traitors.
It was time for me to depart. I bade her farewell, wishing her all the best that I could think of.
On that fine morning, I walked into the portals of a high school near London, along with a friend of mine who accompanied me. There was a fairly big crowd in the school. Everybody there seemed to be very busy. I was told, that it was an ‘Open Day’ of the school when anybody can walk into the school, without any prior permission. Normally you cannot have such easy access to any school there. You should have the prior permission of the Principal, otherwise you will not even be admitted to the campus.
An ‘Open Day’ in a School is a day when the prospective parents can visit the school and assess for themselves if the school is good enough for their children. Hence on such a day the school puts up their best and does everything possible to create a very good impression in the minds of the parents about the school, so that they may send their children to the school next year. So the school authorities would try to show their best. The cordiality and hospitality shown to the visitors are quire impressive.
As I reached the school, I was well received and taken to the Principal’s room. He was literally very busy. He was expected to meet every visitor and please them well. So the Principal didn’t have much time to spend with me. After the exchange pleasantries, the Principal called the Head Girl of the School and gave her the duty of taking me to every room of the school, introduce me to teachers and to explain things to me. I came out of the Principal’s room along with the Head Girl.
Then she took me to every room one after the other. When we reached the first class room, she introduced me to the teacher saying, “Here is Prof. Joseph who has come all the way from India to meet us all.” Then I interacted with the teacher. The head girl was listening to everything that I was telling. When we went to the remaining classrooms, my job was easy because the head girl gave a detailed introduction of me, from what she had gathered from my interaction with the teacher, that I met first. Once we finished visiting the whole school, the head girl told me that she had a presentation to make before a small assembly of students and teachers in the afternoon.
“What is it about”, I asked with curiosity.
“It’s about my experience in Rhodesia, a few months back.”, she told proudly.
“Experience in Rhodesia !” were you there in Rhodesia ?”
“Yes, she told, “I was there a couple of weeks.”
“How did you happen to go there? Do you have anybody there?, I asked.
“No, it was as a part of voluntary service.”, she started explaining. “It was announced in the school that there is going to be work camp in Rhodesia for helping the poor people, by constructing new roads, providing small shelters, etc. Students who are interested in going to the labour camp may volunteer. I thought that it is a good opportunity, so I gave my name.”
“Then the school might have met your expenses of travel?”, I asked.
“No, the school didn’t meet any expense.” was her reply.
“So, did you get it from your parents.” I asked because I had to cancel many of my plans to participate in International Conferences as I could not find the expenses of travel.
“Not from the parents.” She replied, “they don’t have money for such things; nor are they very rich.”
“Then where did you get the money from”, I was curious.
“It is funny ! I had to work and earn money, myself.” She said.
“What sort of work did you do?”, I asked.
“All sorts of works”, she said, “whatever came my way. After school hours I went to work as a sales girl, to wash the plates in restaurants etc.”
I was surprised to hear that she was prepared to do any sort of work and never felt ashamed of that as our people here. That too for going to do social work.
“Did you enjoy your days in Rhodesia ?” I enquired.
“Yes, I did to some extent”, she said.
“Were you well taken care of there?”, I was again curious.
“You can’t say that”. she replied, we were taken care of as well as they could, because we were working among the very poor people who couldn’t do much for us even though they wanted”.
“Was it a tough life?”, I asked.
“Yes, it was a very hard task working in the hot sun and sheltered at night in camps.” She said, “It was not a cosy life.”
“While you were working hard in your country to earn money to go to Rhodesia, did you know that life there would be very hard.” I asked.
“Yes, I knew that.” She said, “I knew that from the students who went there last year.”
“Still why did you go?”, I probed.
The girl’s reply surprised me.
“I went because I do owe something to the poor starving people who are my fellow-beings.” was her reply.
“Yes, I have to do something for the needy.” She repeated.
I was stunned. How could this little girl of 14 to 15 could speak so soberly and seriously with so much of social commitment !
I was reminded of the words of Swami Vivekananda that those that do not care for the poor are traitors. Having been educated at the expense of others, if you don’t heed for them, you are to be called traitors.
It was time for me to depart. I bade her farewell, wishing her all the best that I could think of.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The Priceless Gift
It was during the last phase of my three week visit of England that I reached a Primary School in the suburbs of London. All the three weeks in England, I had a very hectic time visiting many Universities, Colleges, Schools and various other institutions. I had to present a paper at Nottingham University on “Non Formal Education” one of the areas of my activities. Most of those days, I was staying with different British families. I enjoyed every day of my stay there and it was an exciting and exhilarating experience.
My mind is full of reminiscences of that delightful visit. One of those days, I was invited as a guest at the Old Choristers’ Day of Lincoln High School, which is celebrated with great warmth and grandeur. A large number of the members of the choirs of various years of the past assembled there. They performed a grand music with all instruments. It was a day of reunion and rejoicing. The function concluded with a sumptuous dinner. The Bishop of Lincoln was the Chief Guest of the occasion. He was an old chorister of that school. I was offered a chair next to the Bishop. During the dinner, the Bishop asked me, “Are you well cared for here?” “Yea, very well”, I replied. “Very strange!” was the response of the Bishop. He was in a humorous vein.
On another occasion, I happened to meet the Bishop of Peterborough. I was introduced as a visitor from India. “I am a lover of India”, he told. “I wanted to visit India. So I applied for the Indian visa. The Embassy told me that I am a Priest so I would convert people. Hence I would not be given a visa. But I argued that I was a teacher; teacher of theology. But that argument did not hold water. I was denied visa and I was disappointed.” I bowed my head in shame. I was reminded of what Swami Vivekananda proudly declaimed at Chicago in 1893.
“I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and nations.”
Thus my experiences were wide and varied. Of those, one experience haunts me very much. It is the experience of visiting a Primary School near London. As it was scheduled, I reached the School early in the morning. Reaching there, I felt that the School was all set to welcome me. The Headmistress came out of her room with hearty words of welcome. I was led into a hall full of students waiting for meeting me. The children sang a song of welcome for me. That was the same song our students had sung there, when our school choir accompanied me during my first visit to the school, about a year back. The little children there learnt that song and sang the same to delight me more. That was followed by a speech of welcome by a small little girl. Then I spoke to the children and there was a formal vote of thanks. After that meeting the children were led to their respective classes. I was taken to Headmistress’ room for tea and refreshments.
With the Headmistress of St. James' School
Next, I was taken to each class where I spent some time interacting with the children. In every class, I introduced myself telling where I was coming from and some of the interesting places in India which are worth visiting. “There’s a place in my country”, I said, “where from you can watch both the sunrise and the sunset; not of course at the same time”. Then I drew the picture of India and showed the southern most tip of India where from one can watch both the sunrise and sunset. The children seemed to be interested.
Finally, I was taken to senior most class there, where the children are of the age group of 9 – 10. There again I introduced myself. I told some stories and then I asked,
“How many of you have seen elephants?”.
Nobody there had seen an elephant alive. They had seen elephants only in pictures and on TV. I told that I came from the land of elephants and described elephants. I told them how they are caught hold of from the forests, how they are trapped and trained to work. The children were all absorbed in what I was telling. Then the bell rang. It was time for the noon break. The teacher led me out of the class room. At the door, I turned back and waived my hands to the children. Then I saw a little girl of about 9 years of age, running towards me. “Please, stretch your hand”. She said to me. I thought that she wanted to shake hands with me. So I stretched my hand. “Please, show me your hand.” She said, I turned my hand up. She placed something covered in a piece of paper into my hand. “What’s this?”, I asked. “My gift”. She replied. I unfolded the paper and saw some ornaments there. “These are precious ornaments!” I said. “Yea, these are my gifts for you”. She repeated. “I would like to see you with these ornaments on, than taking them away from you”. I told her. “They are my gifts for you”, she said, “So I won’t take them back”. She was emphatic. She seemed to be indignant at the very suggestion of taking back something she presented wholeheartedly. The teacher intervened, “What will you say, when your Mom looks for your ornaments?” “I will tell my Mom”, she replied, “I have given them as a gift to a Professor who came all the way from India just to meet us and talk delightful things to us”. She explained. We had to put in a lot of persuasive efforts to make the little girl to take the ornaments back.
Along with the Headmistress of St. James' School interacting with the children of the primary class
My lunch was arranged in a pub nearby. By the time the Manager and the Headmistress of the School along with a few members of the Board of Directors of the School came there to join me at the lunch arranged in honour of me. After the lunch I came back to the school along with the Headmistress to bid farewell to the teachers there.
At the School some photos were taken. I said “good bye” to the teachers and the children. Then the same little girl who gave me the gift came to me and showed me a piece of paper. “What’s it ?”, I asked . “This is a picture”, she said, “that I drew sitting in the class.” “Well done”, I congratulated her, “You have painted beautifully well. Congratulations”. Saying these words, I gave the picture back to her. But she would not accept that. “This is my gift for you”. She said, “You should accept at least this from me as my gift”.
“All right”, I said, “I consider this a more precious gift than your ornaments”. She smiled whole-heartedly.
Later I wrote under the picture, “WHAT MONEY CANNOT BUY”.
Pausing for the photograph with the St. James' School Authorities including the Headmistress.
Soon after reaching home, I got a letter from the school. It was letter from a teacher there whom I met for the first time during my second visit. She writes : “It was a real pleasure meeting you during your visit to our school. I had heard a lot about you and finally I was able to put a face to the name. Thank you for spending some time with my class. They truly enjoyed the experience”. I was very happy reading the letter. I tried to recall the face of that teacher. But I couldn’t; I couldn’t distinguish that from the faces of very many I met there. But the smiling face of the pretty little girl is still in my mind shining bright like the brightest star in the sky.
My mind is full of reminiscences of that delightful visit. One of those days, I was invited as a guest at the Old Choristers’ Day of Lincoln High School, which is celebrated with great warmth and grandeur. A large number of the members of the choirs of various years of the past assembled there. They performed a grand music with all instruments. It was a day of reunion and rejoicing. The function concluded with a sumptuous dinner. The Bishop of Lincoln was the Chief Guest of the occasion. He was an old chorister of that school. I was offered a chair next to the Bishop. During the dinner, the Bishop asked me, “Are you well cared for here?” “Yea, very well”, I replied. “Very strange!” was the response of the Bishop. He was in a humorous vein.
On another occasion, I happened to meet the Bishop of Peterborough. I was introduced as a visitor from India. “I am a lover of India”, he told. “I wanted to visit India. So I applied for the Indian visa. The Embassy told me that I am a Priest so I would convert people. Hence I would not be given a visa. But I argued that I was a teacher; teacher of theology. But that argument did not hold water. I was denied visa and I was disappointed.” I bowed my head in shame. I was reminded of what Swami Vivekananda proudly declaimed at Chicago in 1893.
“I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and nations.”
Thus my experiences were wide and varied. Of those, one experience haunts me very much. It is the experience of visiting a Primary School near London. As it was scheduled, I reached the School early in the morning. Reaching there, I felt that the School was all set to welcome me. The Headmistress came out of her room with hearty words of welcome. I was led into a hall full of students waiting for meeting me. The children sang a song of welcome for me. That was the same song our students had sung there, when our school choir accompanied me during my first visit to the school, about a year back. The little children there learnt that song and sang the same to delight me more. That was followed by a speech of welcome by a small little girl. Then I spoke to the children and there was a formal vote of thanks. After that meeting the children were led to their respective classes. I was taken to Headmistress’ room for tea and refreshments.
With the Headmistress of St. James' School
Next, I was taken to each class where I spent some time interacting with the children. In every class, I introduced myself telling where I was coming from and some of the interesting places in India which are worth visiting. “There’s a place in my country”, I said, “where from you can watch both the sunrise and the sunset; not of course at the same time”. Then I drew the picture of India and showed the southern most tip of India where from one can watch both the sunrise and sunset. The children seemed to be interested.
Finally, I was taken to senior most class there, where the children are of the age group of 9 – 10. There again I introduced myself. I told some stories and then I asked,
“How many of you have seen elephants?”.
Nobody there had seen an elephant alive. They had seen elephants only in pictures and on TV. I told that I came from the land of elephants and described elephants. I told them how they are caught hold of from the forests, how they are trapped and trained to work. The children were all absorbed in what I was telling. Then the bell rang. It was time for the noon break. The teacher led me out of the class room. At the door, I turned back and waived my hands to the children. Then I saw a little girl of about 9 years of age, running towards me. “Please, stretch your hand”. She said to me. I thought that she wanted to shake hands with me. So I stretched my hand. “Please, show me your hand.” She said, I turned my hand up. She placed something covered in a piece of paper into my hand. “What’s this?”, I asked. “My gift”. She replied. I unfolded the paper and saw some ornaments there. “These are precious ornaments!” I said. “Yea, these are my gifts for you”. She repeated. “I would like to see you with these ornaments on, than taking them away from you”. I told her. “They are my gifts for you”, she said, “So I won’t take them back”. She was emphatic. She seemed to be indignant at the very suggestion of taking back something she presented wholeheartedly. The teacher intervened, “What will you say, when your Mom looks for your ornaments?” “I will tell my Mom”, she replied, “I have given them as a gift to a Professor who came all the way from India just to meet us and talk delightful things to us”. She explained. We had to put in a lot of persuasive efforts to make the little girl to take the ornaments back.
Along with the Headmistress of St. James' School interacting with the children of the primary class
My lunch was arranged in a pub nearby. By the time the Manager and the Headmistress of the School along with a few members of the Board of Directors of the School came there to join me at the lunch arranged in honour of me. After the lunch I came back to the school along with the Headmistress to bid farewell to the teachers there.
At the School some photos were taken. I said “good bye” to the teachers and the children. Then the same little girl who gave me the gift came to me and showed me a piece of paper. “What’s it ?”, I asked . “This is a picture”, she said, “that I drew sitting in the class.” “Well done”, I congratulated her, “You have painted beautifully well. Congratulations”. Saying these words, I gave the picture back to her. But she would not accept that. “This is my gift for you”. She said, “You should accept at least this from me as my gift”.
“All right”, I said, “I consider this a more precious gift than your ornaments”. She smiled whole-heartedly.
Later I wrote under the picture, “WHAT MONEY CANNOT BUY”.
Pausing for the photograph with the St. James' School Authorities including the Headmistress.
Soon after reaching home, I got a letter from the school. It was letter from a teacher there whom I met for the first time during my second visit. She writes : “It was a real pleasure meeting you during your visit to our school. I had heard a lot about you and finally I was able to put a face to the name. Thank you for spending some time with my class. They truly enjoyed the experience”. I was very happy reading the letter. I tried to recall the face of that teacher. But I couldn’t; I couldn’t distinguish that from the faces of very many I met there. But the smiling face of the pretty little girl is still in my mind shining bright like the brightest star in the sky.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Reminiscences of a teacher
[Written on the eve of retirement from Union Christian College, Alwaye in 1997]
The span of twenty-nine years is a pretty long period in the life of an individual. Well, I have been teaching in Union Christian College for long twenty-nine years. When I look back, it appears incredible even to me, because it has never been my habit to stick on to one place or one thing for such a long time. Before joining the Union Christian College in 1969, in two years, I worked in three different colleges. During the seven years of my student days in college, I studied in five different colleges, two colleges in Kerala and three colleges in Uttar Pradesh. After graduating in Science, (in Physics and Mathematics), I did my masters in English literature. I was a student of law for sometime and completed the course of LLB, though I did not bother to pass the final examination. Thus there has never been any consistency in my life. I did not stick at anything; I lacked perseverance and stability.
A year after joining Union Christian college, when I was told that my service was terminated I was hopefully looking for the thrill of joining another institution. Then I was told that my service was being extended for one more year. Finally the college had to tolerate me for twenty-nine years. I found Union Christian College in the prime of my youthful manhood and I left the college on the verge of my old age.
The College where I spent nearly three decades of my fruitful life, started in 1921 as a private initiative by five individuals joined together to promote education and ecumenism, at a time when ecumenism was never talked about nor even thought of. Illustrious sons of India like Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Laureate, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, The Former President of India and a renowned Philosopher, Mr. V.K. Krishna Menon, Former Defence Minister and form India's Roaming Ambassador have hallowed the campus of the college with their visits. It had on its staff at various times the great luminaries like Malcome Magridge, the former Editor of 'The Punch', Kuttippuzha Krishna Pillai, a veteran free thinker and writer and C.P. Mathew, one of its founders who later became a member of the Indian Parliament. Its alumni includes distinguished persons like Dr. P.C. Alexander, the former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, who later became the governor of two Indian States successively, C.M. Stephen, former Central Minister and P.K. Vasudevan Nair, former Chief Minister of Kerala State.
It is a renowned institution of unique feature.
On the eve of my retirement as the Professor and Head of the Post Graduate and Research Department of English, Union Christian College, on 31st March 1997, a few of my students came to my home. During the course of the conversation, one of them asked me, what the most memorable event of my thirty-one years of teaching career, was. The question made me probe into the past. I have very many satisfying experiences that anyone of this profession may have had. Some of my old students have reached high positions in life; some of them still retain their friendship with me; some of them acknowledge that they owe a lot to me; some of them convey their regards to me as a sign of their respect for me. These are indeed the common experience of any teacher in his career. But apart from the usual stuff, I have had some unique and unforgettable experiences.
Once I was at Ernakulam looking for an auto rickshaw to reach somewhere for a meeting. Then an auto rickshaw came and stopped by my side. The driver was more than usual courteous and respectful to me. I wondered what the reason was. I stared into his face. To my surprise I found that he was my student of the English postgraduate class of the College. He explained to me that during the evenings and nights he plied a hired auto rickshaw to earn a livelihood to support himself and his parents; he sleeps a while during the small hours of the morning before coming to the College to attend his classes. I was stunned at his perseverance and determination. Born posthumously into a lower middle class family, with no one around me for proper guidance and directions, I too had my struggles of life during my boyhood. But this boy’s perseverance was astonishing. I was reminded of William Wordsworth’s, Leach-gatherer. As in the case of William Wordsworth whose fears and anxieties were driven away by the decrepit man with a firm mind, in my case the thoughts of despondency are driven away by the face of the boy that looms in my mind as the symbol of perseverance and determination.
Soon after I took charge of the Head of the Department of English a colleague of mine brought to my notice the tragic plight of a student in the M.A. class who had lost both her parents. Living in a state of abject poverty with no one around to support, and with a younger sister to be looked after, the poor girl was on the verge of a breakdown. A meeting of the Department was convened and I was overwhelmed with joy to find all my colleagues in the Department coming forth contributing very liberally to a relief fund. Her classmates also contributed towards the fund. Some of my friends from the other Departments, with whom I shared the story, also came forward with helping hands. I approached the Toc H Public School Society, which also came forward to help. When I handed over a substantial sum of money into the hands of the girl, for her to build her hopes on, that was one of the memorable moments of my life.
If I am asked which was the most memorable day of my life that was the day when the slum dwellers of Alwaye could find a shelter for themselves. Mangalappuzha slum now exists only in the memory of the people of Alwaye. There were a hundred and five families living in very small thatched huts on a low-lying piece of land by the side of the National Highway. The huts were huddled together in the most horrifyingly unhygienic conditions. Most of the people there were physically handicapped and suffering from dreadful diseases, resorting to begging for their livelihood. The people of Alwaye called the slum, the beggars’ colony. There were nearly seven hundred people living there in one hundred and five huts. It was my active involvement in Non Formal Adult Education that brought me to that slum. As the Secretary of the Kerala Association for Non Formal Education and Development, I went there first to inaugurate an adult literacy centre there. The most terrible and pathetic conditions of the slum dwellers moved my heart. Good dwelling houses for these people became a dream of mine – a dream, which I feared, would never be realised.
Rev. Fr. Paul Karimathy initiated a project to build houses for these people. I had the privilege of associating myself with him very closely. First of all we had to find a suitable plot of land to rehabilitate the people. Through hard perseverance and exertion of great pressure, we could move the Government to allot a suitable plot of land to these people, at Chunangamvely. When the committee for rehabilitation met, someone humorously suggested that the earthwork (digging the hard ground for the houses), the most difficult part of this construction, might be left to me. She was trying to pull my leg knowing fully well that I would never be able to do the work. But I took up the matter seriously and suggested to the National Service Scheme Programme Officer of the College to conduct a work camp there for the earthwork. Prof. P.D. Johny, who was then the Senior NSS Programme Officer of the College, took it up as a challenge and held a camp there. Within ten days all the earthwork was completed. At the concluding session of the camp, I told my students involved in the work that they had done a noble task and in future wherever they would be, the blessings of the seven hundred people who would be shifted to that place, would always, like a line of light guard and guide them. Fr. Karimathy collected the money required for the construction of the houses. Still the completion of the project was an uphill task. There were militant political parties opposing the project for some flimsy reason or other. There were occasions when all the beneficiaries, seven hundred and odd people, turned against the benefactors, motivated by petty politicians with vested interests. The local political leaders feared that if these people were rehabilitated in better conditions of life at a distant place, the leaders would lose the mass support of these poor people of the slum who were their vote bank. It was a strenuous task to overcome all these difficulties. Finally when all the houses were completed, a date was fixed for the handing over of the keys. That was the day of great rejoicing – the day of the fulfillment of the greatest dream of my life. The gleam of joy in the eyes of the crowd of destitutes still looms in my mind. More colourful and splendid occasions there have been in my life, such as receiving P.N. Panikkar Foundation Award for Social Work, from Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, the President of the Foundation, but a happier day, there has been none in my life.
When I was sharing my experience with the slum dwellers at an International Conference held at Nottingham University in U.K., I had a spellbound audience before me. When I finished my presentation there were many questions. Ms. Helen Hill, Victoria University of Technology, Australia, asked me a pertinent question, “How could the communists and the Catholic priests join hands to work for the success of the same project?” I answered that once the programme got momentum it became people’s programme, no one could stand against or away from that lest he would lose his acceptability. Ms. Claudia Harvey from Trinidad, who presided over the session, in her concluding remarks stated, “When Professor Joseph Passionately presented the experience, we could feel that he was seeing his slum dwellers right in front of his eyes”.
When I look back into the past, I have no regrets. As Robert Browning’s Andrea says, “I regret little, I would change still less”. I bowed out of the portals of Union Christian College with malice towards none and goodwill towards all, to continue teaching at several institutions that still seek my service.
"I am grown peaceful as old age to-night
I regret little, I would change still less
since there my past life lies, why alter it?"
The span of twenty-nine years is a pretty long period in the life of an individual. Well, I have been teaching in Union Christian College for long twenty-nine years. When I look back, it appears incredible even to me, because it has never been my habit to stick on to one place or one thing for such a long time. Before joining the Union Christian College in 1969, in two years, I worked in three different colleges. During the seven years of my student days in college, I studied in five different colleges, two colleges in Kerala and three colleges in Uttar Pradesh. After graduating in Science, (in Physics and Mathematics), I did my masters in English literature. I was a student of law for sometime and completed the course of LLB, though I did not bother to pass the final examination. Thus there has never been any consistency in my life. I did not stick at anything; I lacked perseverance and stability.
A year after joining Union Christian college, when I was told that my service was terminated I was hopefully looking for the thrill of joining another institution. Then I was told that my service was being extended for one more year. Finally the college had to tolerate me for twenty-nine years. I found Union Christian College in the prime of my youthful manhood and I left the college on the verge of my old age.
The College where I spent nearly three decades of my fruitful life, started in 1921 as a private initiative by five individuals joined together to promote education and ecumenism, at a time when ecumenism was never talked about nor even thought of. Illustrious sons of India like Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation, Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Laureate, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, The Former President of India and a renowned Philosopher, Mr. V.K. Krishna Menon, Former Defence Minister and form India's Roaming Ambassador have hallowed the campus of the college with their visits. It had on its staff at various times the great luminaries like Malcome Magridge, the former Editor of 'The Punch', Kuttippuzha Krishna Pillai, a veteran free thinker and writer and C.P. Mathew, one of its founders who later became a member of the Indian Parliament. Its alumni includes distinguished persons like Dr. P.C. Alexander, the former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, who later became the governor of two Indian States successively, C.M. Stephen, former Central Minister and P.K. Vasudevan Nair, former Chief Minister of Kerala State.
It is a renowned institution of unique feature.
On the eve of my retirement as the Professor and Head of the Post Graduate and Research Department of English, Union Christian College, on 31st March 1997, a few of my students came to my home. During the course of the conversation, one of them asked me, what the most memorable event of my thirty-one years of teaching career, was. The question made me probe into the past. I have very many satisfying experiences that anyone of this profession may have had. Some of my old students have reached high positions in life; some of them still retain their friendship with me; some of them acknowledge that they owe a lot to me; some of them convey their regards to me as a sign of their respect for me. These are indeed the common experience of any teacher in his career. But apart from the usual stuff, I have had some unique and unforgettable experiences.
Once I was at Ernakulam looking for an auto rickshaw to reach somewhere for a meeting. Then an auto rickshaw came and stopped by my side. The driver was more than usual courteous and respectful to me. I wondered what the reason was. I stared into his face. To my surprise I found that he was my student of the English postgraduate class of the College. He explained to me that during the evenings and nights he plied a hired auto rickshaw to earn a livelihood to support himself and his parents; he sleeps a while during the small hours of the morning before coming to the College to attend his classes. I was stunned at his perseverance and determination. Born posthumously into a lower middle class family, with no one around me for proper guidance and directions, I too had my struggles of life during my boyhood. But this boy’s perseverance was astonishing. I was reminded of William Wordsworth’s, Leach-gatherer. As in the case of William Wordsworth whose fears and anxieties were driven away by the decrepit man with a firm mind, in my case the thoughts of despondency are driven away by the face of the boy that looms in my mind as the symbol of perseverance and determination.
Soon after I took charge of the Head of the Department of English a colleague of mine brought to my notice the tragic plight of a student in the M.A. class who had lost both her parents. Living in a state of abject poverty with no one around to support, and with a younger sister to be looked after, the poor girl was on the verge of a breakdown. A meeting of the Department was convened and I was overwhelmed with joy to find all my colleagues in the Department coming forth contributing very liberally to a relief fund. Her classmates also contributed towards the fund. Some of my friends from the other Departments, with whom I shared the story, also came forward with helping hands. I approached the Toc H Public School Society, which also came forward to help. When I handed over a substantial sum of money into the hands of the girl, for her to build her hopes on, that was one of the memorable moments of my life.
If I am asked which was the most memorable day of my life that was the day when the slum dwellers of Alwaye could find a shelter for themselves. Mangalappuzha slum now exists only in the memory of the people of Alwaye. There were a hundred and five families living in very small thatched huts on a low-lying piece of land by the side of the National Highway. The huts were huddled together in the most horrifyingly unhygienic conditions. Most of the people there were physically handicapped and suffering from dreadful diseases, resorting to begging for their livelihood. The people of Alwaye called the slum, the beggars’ colony. There were nearly seven hundred people living there in one hundred and five huts. It was my active involvement in Non Formal Adult Education that brought me to that slum. As the Secretary of the Kerala Association for Non Formal Education and Development, I went there first to inaugurate an adult literacy centre there. The most terrible and pathetic conditions of the slum dwellers moved my heart. Good dwelling houses for these people became a dream of mine – a dream, which I feared, would never be realised.
Rev. Fr. Paul Karimathy initiated a project to build houses for these people. I had the privilege of associating myself with him very closely. First of all we had to find a suitable plot of land to rehabilitate the people. Through hard perseverance and exertion of great pressure, we could move the Government to allot a suitable plot of land to these people, at Chunangamvely. When the committee for rehabilitation met, someone humorously suggested that the earthwork (digging the hard ground for the houses), the most difficult part of this construction, might be left to me. She was trying to pull my leg knowing fully well that I would never be able to do the work. But I took up the matter seriously and suggested to the National Service Scheme Programme Officer of the College to conduct a work camp there for the earthwork. Prof. P.D. Johny, who was then the Senior NSS Programme Officer of the College, took it up as a challenge and held a camp there. Within ten days all the earthwork was completed. At the concluding session of the camp, I told my students involved in the work that they had done a noble task and in future wherever they would be, the blessings of the seven hundred people who would be shifted to that place, would always, like a line of light guard and guide them. Fr. Karimathy collected the money required for the construction of the houses. Still the completion of the project was an uphill task. There were militant political parties opposing the project for some flimsy reason or other. There were occasions when all the beneficiaries, seven hundred and odd people, turned against the benefactors, motivated by petty politicians with vested interests. The local political leaders feared that if these people were rehabilitated in better conditions of life at a distant place, the leaders would lose the mass support of these poor people of the slum who were their vote bank. It was a strenuous task to overcome all these difficulties. Finally when all the houses were completed, a date was fixed for the handing over of the keys. That was the day of great rejoicing – the day of the fulfillment of the greatest dream of my life. The gleam of joy in the eyes of the crowd of destitutes still looms in my mind. More colourful and splendid occasions there have been in my life, such as receiving P.N. Panikkar Foundation Award for Social Work, from Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, the President of the Foundation, but a happier day, there has been none in my life.
When I was sharing my experience with the slum dwellers at an International Conference held at Nottingham University in U.K., I had a spellbound audience before me. When I finished my presentation there were many questions. Ms. Helen Hill, Victoria University of Technology, Australia, asked me a pertinent question, “How could the communists and the Catholic priests join hands to work for the success of the same project?” I answered that once the programme got momentum it became people’s programme, no one could stand against or away from that lest he would lose his acceptability. Ms. Claudia Harvey from Trinidad, who presided over the session, in her concluding remarks stated, “When Professor Joseph Passionately presented the experience, we could feel that he was seeing his slum dwellers right in front of his eyes”.
When I look back into the past, I have no regrets. As Robert Browning’s Andrea says, “I regret little, I would change still less”. I bowed out of the portals of Union Christian College with malice towards none and goodwill towards all, to continue teaching at several institutions that still seek my service.
"I am grown peaceful as old age to-night
I regret little, I would change still less
since there my past life lies, why alter it?"
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