:
Why didn't anyone mention anything about Ranjitsinh before UNESCO's recognition? Just because he doesn't converse in English, keeps a low-profile, hails from a village and refrains from flaunting his contributions? We need many more Ranjitsinhs than Romila Thapars, Amartya Sens or Abhijit Banerjees to bring the stereotyped education and fashionable erudition out of the hallowed precincts of a select few Ivy League varsities, JNU, DU, among others.
ATTN: KHEDEKARJI, COPY BEGINS FROM HERE
The heights by great men reached and kept,
were not attained by sudden flight;
but they, while their companions slept,
were toiling upward in the night.
- Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, US poet.
Hardly anyone had heard of Ranjitsinh Disale before December 4 because the rest of India hasn't yet had enough of SSR, Arnab, Kangana and all these media-savvy people. But far from the media's ubiquitous glare and news studios' scurrilous and Billingsgate debates, a 32-year-old teacher from Solapur was working in challenging circumstances without any fanfare, to ameliorate the lot of underprivileged students and poor girls. His indefatigable endeavours have been acknowledged by UNESCO. Indeed, the devotion with which the 32-year-old educator has been working on his vision of promoting education among the category of students most in need of a push in India — the underprivileged and girls — is a rarity and worthy of recognition. Since 2009, when he started his career by taking on the task of turning around the dilapidated school building, the talented teacher has overcome all odds to contribute to the profession and add multi-hued feathers to his cap.
Vasubandhu, the Buddhist scholar at Nalanda University in the 11th century, defined an ideal teacher: Prasiddhi-praangmukh niralas saadhanastu nimajjitam iti shikshkam (He's a teacher who being insouciant to name and fame, remains committed to teaching and spreading knowledge). Sage Yagnavalkya scribbled in his screed, 'Shikshak Pratidarshanam,' (One who imparts knowledge with empathy (sahmarmita in Sanskrit), devotion and honesty is an ideal teacher. Young Ranjitsinh has all three attributes in abundance. He has fully understood the import of education from the perspective of a teacher. Mind you, this is of paramount importance: To understand the significance of education as a teacher, because a teacher has a moral onus on him/her to disseminate knowledge and uplift the lives of students qualitatively.
Before dwelling upon Ranjitsinh Disale's contributions and yeoman's service to educate the poorest of the poor, it's imperative to know what education is and how we perceive it. Philologists and etymologists like Sir James Augustus Henry Murray, Jacob Verdam, Ola Raknes, among others, were of the opinion that the ancient Greek word 'Eduna' engendered the word 'education.' At the same time, Indian scholars and linguists A K Ramanujan and Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee believed that the word 'education' originated from the Vedic Sanskrit word 'Idunam or Edunum'. Whatever may have been the origin of the word 'education,' one thing is crystal-clear: all the roots connote the same semantics, i.e, 'To gain something worthwhile for collective good.' Even the Sanskrit word 'Shiksha' means the same: Shiksham Pranotihanti Itipraanam Gunanteh (a system that enables an individual to learn and improve qualitatively).
Education empowers. It also emboldens, ennobles and enlightens a person. Gandhiji said decades ago: "Shiksha vyakti ko sabal banati hai aur use aadhunik vishva ki chunautiyon ke liye prastut bhi karti hai (Education empowers an individual and prepares them to face the challenges of modern world)". So very true. =
A practical example of Dr B R Ambedkar can be adduced to make it clearer. He believed that his education made him comprehensively enlightened to look at things happening in the modern world and society, to be precise. With his education, he could visualise the undercurrents and ramifications of the modern society and its concomitant issues. The prior understanding of things to unfold and evolve comes only with education. An educated mind pauses, thinks and then concludes. It doesn't take decisions in a hurry or huff. Shiksham pradanti sthirtam (Education calms one down and brings about a kind of placidity). This dictum of Chanakya is ever-relevant and is all the more important in these uncertain and volatile times.
Knowledge and wisdom are two great qualities that come after initial education. There's a systematic gradation to it: Education>Knowledge>Wisdom. An educated mind seeks knowledge and knowledge leads to wisdom. All three are interwoven and entwined. The distinct role of education is to educate ourselves regarding societal changes, good as well as bad. That the so-called modern world is still straddled and deeply steeped in regressive practices and issues like casteism, jingoism, ethnocentrism and discrimination can only be seen and understood in the light of education. With education, we become socially and morally responsible and our approach to issues gets more holistic and wider. The modern world is rife with provocations, temptations and turmoil. With education, we can deal with them in a measured and organised manner.
To quote Gandhi again, 'The more you're educated, the less you're violent.' These words of the Mahatma echo the sentiments of St Francis of Assisi: 'Get educated to eschew violence and bloodshed.' Violence is the recurrent theme of modern times, with almost all nations getting embroiled in it. Only through the dissemination of education, can violence be eliminated.
How Ranjitsinh Disale has empowered his underprivileged students by educating them:
As a teacher, Ranjitsinh has realized that only through proper education could a whole lot be brought out of the penumbra of ignorance and darkness because, to educate a person is to educate an entire society. Remember, education is contagious in an affirmative and positive manner. Individuals like Ranjitsinh, working at grassroot levels and silently teaching and empowering students must be highlighted. That we recognise our hidden talents and gems only after getting western recognition, underlines our lackadaisical approach and attitude, nay our servile mentality.
Why didn't anyone mention anything about Ranjitsinh before UNESCO's recognition? Just because he doesn't converse in English, keeps a low-profile, hails from a village and refrains from flaunting his contributions? We need many more Ranjitsinhs than Romila Thapars, Amartya Sens or Abhijit Banerjees, to bring the stereotyped education and fashionable erudition out of the hallowed precincts of a select few Ivy League varsities, JNU, DU, among others. That we go ga-ga over Malala Yusufzai for her efforts to educate the oppressed and suppressed (Muslim) girls because she's a Nobel laureate and is studying at Oxford University, but remain remarkably ignorant about our own Ranjitsinhs is indeed pitiable.
Instead of shifting Bollywood to Noida's film city, we, as a nation, must shift our anything-goes attitude towards finding teachers like Ranjitsinh and recognising their contributions. This will give an impetus to others and dissuade our collective national attention from widespread frivolity.
Lastly, to quote a great Urdu poet, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, 'Taaleem haasil kar/Duniya ko bana behtar ' (Get educated/Make the world a better place). Always remember his exhortation. Even Al-Furqaan (Holy Qura'an) begins with the verse 'Eqra........' (Read and get education).
The heights by great men reached and kept,
were not attained by sudden flight;
but they, while their companions slept,
were toiling upward in the night.
- Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, US poet.
Hardly anyone had heard of Ranjitsinh Disale before December 4 because the rest of India hasn't yet had enough of SSR, Arnab, Kangana and all these media-savvy people. But far from the media's ubiquitous glare and news studios' scurrilous and Billingsgate debates, a 32-year-old teacher from Solapur was working in challenging circumstances without any fanfare, to ameliorate the lot of underprivileged students and poor girls. His indefatigable endeavours have been acknowledged by UNESCO.
Indeed, the devotion with which the 32-year-old educator has been working on his vision of promoting education among the category of students most in need of a push in India — the underprivileged and girls — is a rarity and worthy of recognition. Since 2009, when he started his career by taking on the task of turning around the dilapidated school building, the talented teacher has overcome all odds to contribute to the profession and add multi-hued feathers to his cap.
Ideal teacher
Vasubandhu, the Buddhist scholar at Nalanda University in the 11th century, defined an ideal teacher: Prasiddhi-praangmukh niralas saadhanastu nimajjitam iti shikshkam (He's a teacher who being insouciant to name and fame, remains committed to teaching and spreading knowledge). Sage Yagnavalkya scribbled in his screed, 'Shikshak Pratidarshanam,' (One who imparts knowledge with empathy (sahmarmita in Sanskrit), devotion and honesty is an ideal teacher. Young Ranjitsinh has all three attributes in abundance. He has fully understood the import of education from the perspective of a teacher. Mind you, this is of paramount importance: To understand the significance of education as a teacher, because a teacher has a moral onus on him/her to disseminate knowledge and uplift the lives of students qualitatively.
Before dwelling upon Ranjitsinh Disale's contributions and yeoman's service to educate the poorest of the poor, it's imperative to know what education is and how we perceive it. Philologists and etymologists like Sir James Augustus Henry Murray, Jacob Verdam, Ola Raknes, among others, were of the opinion that the ancient Greek word 'Eduna' engendered the word 'education.' At the same time, Indian scholars and linguists A K Ramanujan and Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee believed that the word 'education' originated from the Vedic Sanskrit word 'Idunam or Edunum'. Whatever may have been the origin of the word 'education,' one thing is crystal-clear: all the roots connote the same semantics, i.e, 'To gain something worthwhile for collective good.' Even the Sanskrit word 'Shiksha' means the same: Shiksham Pranotihanti Itipraanam Gunanteh (a system that enables an individual to learn and improve qualitatively).
Education empowers. It also emboldens, ennobles and enlightens a person. Gandhiji said decades ago: "Shiksha vyakti ko sabal banati hai aur use aadhunik vishva ki chunautiyon ke liye prastut bhi karti hai (Education empowers an individual and prepares them to face the challenges of modern world)". So very true.
Dr Ambedkar on education
A practical example of Dr B R Ambedkar can be adduced to make it clearer. He believed that his education made him comprehensively enlightened to look at things happening in the modern world and society, to be precise. With his education, he could visualise the undercurrents and ramifications of the modern society and its concomitant issues. The prior understanding of things to unfold and evolve comes only with education. An educated mind pauses, thinks and then concludes. It doesn't take decisions in a hurry or huff. Shiksham pradanti sthirtam (Education calms one down and brings about a kind of placidity). This dictum of Chanakya is ever-relevant and is all the more important in these uncertain and volatile times.
Knowledge and wisdom are two great qualities that come after initial education. There's a systematic gradation to it: Education>Knowledge>Wisdom. An educated mind seeks knowledge and knowledge leads to wisdom. All three are interwoven and entwined. The distinct role of education is to educate ourselves regarding societal changes, good as well as bad. That the so-called modern world is still straddled and deeply steeped in regressive practices and issues like casteism, jingoism, ethnocentrism and discrimination can only be seen and understood in the light of education. With education, we become socially and morally responsible and our approach to issues gets more holistic and wider. The modern world is rife with provocations, temptations and turmoil. With education, we can deal with them in a measured and organised manner.
To quote Gandhi again, 'The more you're educated, the less you're violent.' These words of the Mahatma echo the sentiments of St Francis of Assisi: 'Get educated to eschew violence and bloodshed.' Violence is the recurrent theme of modern times, with almost all nations getting embroiled in it. Only through the dissemination of education, can violence be eliminated.
Grassroot level
How Ranjitsinh Disale has empowered his underprivileged students by educating them:
As a teacher, Ranjitsinh has realised that only through proper education could a whole lot be brought out of the penumbra of ignorance and darkness because, to educate a person is to educate an entire society. Remember, education is contagious in an affirmative and positive manner. Individuals like Ranjitsinh, working at grassroot levels and silently teaching and empowering students must be highlighted. That we recognise our hidden talents and gems only after getting western recognition, underlines our lackadaisical approach and attitude, nay our servile mentality.
Why didn't anyone mention anything about Ranjitsinh before UNESCO's recognition? Just because he doesn't converse in English, keeps a low-profile, hails from a village and refrains from flaunting his contributions? We need many more Ranjitsinhs than Romila Thapars, Amartya Sens or Abhijit Banerjees, to bring the stereotyped education and fashionable erudition out of the hallowed precincts of a select few Ivy League varsities, JNU, DU, among others. That we go ga-ga over Malala Yusufzai for her efforts to educate the oppressed and suppressed (Muslim) girls because she's a Nobel laureate and is studying at Oxford University, but remain remarkably ignorant about our own Ranjitsinhs is indeed pitiable.
Instead of shifting Bollywood to Noida's film city, we, as a nation, must shift our anything-goes attitude towards finding teachers like Ranjitsinh and recognising their contributions. This will give an impetus to others and dissuade our collective national attention from widespread frivolity.
Lastly, to quote a great Urdu poet, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, 'Taaleem haasil kar/Duniya ko bana behtar ' (Get educated/Make the world a better place). Always remember his exhortation. Even Al-Furqaan (Holy Qura'an) begins with the verse 'Eqra........' (Read and get education).
The writer is an advanced research scholar of Semitic languages, civilisations and cultures.
