What are News (& Views) Today? - (21-Feb-2013) - British PM in India - Cauvery Award - Shinde retracts - And Rapes & Murders - Defence Production Indigenisation

What are News Today?

(21-Feb-2013)

Reading news papers isn’t a Pleasant Job in India. You find all wrong things happening everywhere. If a few Good things are also happening, you will actually have to search for them with a magnifying glass.

We can coin a new quote for this phenomenon. 

Bad things walk in. Good things wait outside – and need to be invited.

It is like that. Yet, I propose to cover a few Good things and bad things from the news periodically in my blog.

Today’s News

1.Jallianwala Bagh Carnage deeply shameful : says David Cameroon, the first British Prime Minister to visit India after we became free. Winston Churchill also had described the incident as monstrous – when it actually happened.

Comments : The British PM also says, we must never forget what happened here. 

I disagree. Life consists in forgetting and moving forward. General Dyer and his soldiers are not here anymore. We can’t go to Hell and bring them back - to make them shameful now. We must now make those Indian Policemen who are indulging in custodial tortures and deaths in Independent India shameful. We must ensure that peaceful demonstrations in Independent India are dealt with by our Police in a more graceful and humane manner. That serves our purpose. David Cameroon’s  statement serves his purpose. Yet, It is welcome. More Importantly, the British Prime Minister is a Graceful Man. He is Most Welcome.

2. Shinde bows to BJP, says he regrets saffron terror remark

COMMENTS : Politics must be played Gracefully and transparently. Such Graceful Politics seems to have ended with Jawaharlal Nehru. The word terrorism must be clearly distinguished from small scale violence which happens every day. If we brand every violent act as a terrorist act – we will lose our balance absolutely, totally and immediately. Every one born on earth will look like a terrorist to our eyes. 

In my view, continuing, cold blooded, periodical, pre-planned violence against  any group of Indians is terrorism. Other things, including murders are not terrorism. They are ordinary violence. 

Pakistani terrorists like Taliban, Al Queda etc must be distinguished from Peaceful Pakistani Public. Kashmiri terrorists must be distinguished from Kashmiri public. Naxalites must be distinguished from other Indian public. Northeast has a plethora of terrorist organizations. They must be clearly distinguished from the public there. 

I too do not accept RSS’s Hindutva Ideology, simply for the reason that it tries to impose a cultural view on a section of public which doesn’t subscribe to it.  You have no right to say that a Christian is a Hindu, when the Christian is not willing to accept this connotation and when majority of Indians write, “HINDU”  against the column “religion”.  

But, that doesn’t make RSS a terrorist organization. RSS is wrong. Shinde, equally so. But, both are Patriotic. Shinde, especially, is normally, a soft spoken Politician. He must stay as such. My feeling is – both must renounce respective views – in the interest of the nation.

3. Centre notifies Cauvery award

Comments : It was one of India’s first bad decisions to have made river waters a state subject. There was (and is) absolutely no logic in that decision. Rivers and all other water streams are God’s boon to us and they flow from the place of their Birth into the sea, in a Natural course. Whole civilizations have come up all along the river banks. We must not disturb the natural course and end them violently with Dams etc, at some arbitrary point. Stopping the rivers midstream through Dams is definitely incorrect, especially, when their flow is normal and not flood-prone. Yes. We can build canals and utilize river waters optimally all along the river banks. I strongly suggest that all rivers be nationalized forthwith.  

Dam-building, especially in the upper riparian areas, especially by the State Governments, is fraught with too many risks, for the lower riparian areas. Our Politicians easily whip up regional sentiments and refuse to see the interests of lower riparian areas. North India has not yet faced this problem, but, sooner or later, it will face it too. If any one problem is capable of dividing Indian psyche into rigid compartments, it is this dam-building activity in upper riparian areas by state governments and stopping waters within their states. 

As matters stand, People must come together in a spirit of give-and-take and settle the river water issues. After all this much water only is available. This only has to be shared, can be shared and must be shared in a spirit of friendship. Share it optimally, instead of allowing it to evaporate into the air. Language must not be allowed to divide people’s mindsets. We are all Indians - at the minimum. The main fear in Andhra and Rayalaseema regions in respect of Telangana issue also is that  Telangana Politicians are most likely to stop  waters within Telangana, given the way some of them talk against other regions. Therefore, I strongly suggest that all multi-state rivers be nationalized, forthwith, giving powers only to the centre to build any fresh dams and canals. Not only in respect of rivers, states are doing the same with smaller canals flowing into other states making the lower riparian areas almost desert-like. It is as if the people there are not ours. They are THEY. We are WE. The whole Gita was told by Lord Krishna to avoid precisely this tendency in us. Gita’s first sloka is precisely on this aspect.

4.RAPES, MURDERS, ...

As usual, there are News of rapes, Murders etc.

Wilhelmusweijdeveld, a Dutch national, aged 60, died. He came to India, started an Orphanage, became a child abuser, was arrested for sexually abusing five “BOYS”, and is now dead because of bronchitis. When alive, he was also uploading child pornographic material into the Internet.

I am afraid of GAY culture wildly spreading in the west, because of this reason, especially. GAYs need same sex targets – and some of them may need to search actively  and find them in same sex children as well. If 2 men are known GAYs – and go together voluntarily, it is their Headache. But, if both of them are searching for new targets – it is our headache. Of course, ditto even for Hetero sexuals. Rapes are precisely that. But, hetero sexual have a natural outlet in marriage. Not so with GAYS.

Another News  – a catholic Priest allegedly raped four minor tribal Girls, aged between 6 and 8 years. Medical examination has confirmed sexual assault. This is in a remote village of Amibikapur in Chattisgarh.

Another News – a girl aged 22 was injured, as she jumped out of a moving Autorickshaw, after a man allegedly tried to molest her. This was in Hyderabad.

Another news  – a 19 year old RAPE ACCUSED in Haryana was gunned down. He was accused of kidnapping and raping a minor in 2011 and is facing trial in a juvenile court. So, this was the case of a minor raping a minor.

Why did the Minor do that? What prompted him to do that? Obscene Movies, obscene TV shows, Half-naked item number dances and so on. As long as we keep this source, the fallout will be there. But, film producers will never stop the obscene, half naked dances, Censors will never block them, we will never teach restraint and mutual respect in our education system, so rapes will continue.

Are all these sickening? Yes. These are. So, let us move on to some Positive news :

5. DEFENCE MINISTER, A.K.ANTONY is trying to chart out a definite roadmap for indigenization of Defence Production – on a “NATIONAL MISSION” Mode.

To speak in Shakespearean tongue – And, Antony is a Good Man! Yes. This Antony definitely is.

We are of course sick with corruption everywhere, especially in Defence purchases. We are sick with being at least 20 years behind China,  our Great Northern friend, in Defence production. We do wish and pray that the defence Minister succeeds in his efforts. We have the TATAs, the AMBANIS, the BIRLAs, the PREMJIs and so many other excellent and extraordinary entrepreneurs in India. Please enlist them – rather, give the task to them. They will make India, the No.1 country in Defence Production. Who is holding back India in Defence preparedness?  It is only India. We just need enabling Policies.  Indian Public sector will take ages to deliver. Give it to the Private sector. Give them a free Hand. Loosen up all restrictions on them. They are Great Patriots. Believe them. They will deliver. You can permit a 50 :50 FDI also in defence production, where key technologies are involved. If this one move of the defence Minister fructifies, India will move up the scale in Development significantly.

 *  *  *  E  N  D  *  *  *

REFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEM - SECULAR EDUCATION – MAKE IT INCLUSIVE & LIVELY

REFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEM

SECULAR EDUCATION

MAKE IT 

INFORMATIVE,INCLUSIVE & GOAL ORIENTED

Reforming Education System is the most urgent and important need in India today.

In the three parts earlier, we examined -

(1)        What Great people think of Education system,

(2)        The Need to build Character through Education system.

(3)        The need to gradually phase out the CASTE SYSTEM – through Education – and Bring Unity among all people

(4)        The need for day to day skills like cooking

(5)        Greater stress on sports and Games

(6)        The need for lateral, creative and objective thinking

(7)        Skills to fix basic electrical and electronic appliances

India is a secular country. But, secular Education is not availed by certain sections of the society and they still prefer their own religious schools. Madrasas for Muslims and Christian schools for Christians are all over India and proliferating.

But, Hindu scriptural teaching is not available anywhere. Thus, while Islamic religious education and Christian religious education are available, Hindu religious education is missing. Many social ills in India today are due to such lop-sided education, we don’t know anything about the Major Religions of India.

Indian secularism has thus become a negative, negating concept and not a positive, inclusive concept.

In last three years, I have been studying the Gita and the Upanishads. The more I understand them, the more, I feel that they do not belong to a Particular religion in the conventional sense, but, belong to the whole humanity. They are one of the RICHEST SOURCE of all morals, ethics and the best practices of social living.

It is the lack of their knowledge that makes many Hindus practice untouchability, superior-inferior complexes and so on. India takes a person from worship of everything in Nature, to a single representative thing (an idol or such things), and from there to a shapeless formless God and finally to a level where one sees himself in all beings and all beings in one’s own self. The Individual must realize the divinity in himself.

These are based on solid, sound reasoning. Lack of knowledge of these extraordinary and highly scientific methods even among the Hindus has given rise to various misconceptions in the minds of other religions and Hindus themselves – that Hinduism has so many gods, Hindus worship only Idols and so on, which is far from truth. All religious Acharyas like Adi Sankaracharya and Ramanujacharya have condemned the practice of UNTOUCHABILITY in strong terms.

Adi Sankaracharya has invoked the authority of Siva Himself, who directed him not to practice un-touchability. Therefore, Adi Sankara's clear message is that NO ONE  should practice untouchability. The latest to tell us this by personal practice is - Mahatma Gandhi himself. In spite of that, if it still exists, we have to blame our so called secular education, which doesn’t teach this great aspect of religion.

I have read the Bible too to a reasonable extent.I have heard parts of Koran from many of my Muslim friends.

The point is - India must introduce a positive all-inclusive religious education, taking the best aspects of each religion. India must become a Model country, where people understand each religion in the country – and choose their personal religion freely – according to their conscience, instead of basing it on somebody else’s conversion inducements. In all religions, we do find extremely liberal, tolerant, well informed Individuals, who do adopt to such liberal religious practices.

Which means - an Individual may at his option, adopt himself to the BEST OF ALL RELIGIONS- a sort of UNIVERSAL RELIGION. Individual choice should not be obstructed by any Priest, Mulla or Bishop of any denomination. There should be true, free,well-chosen, informed religious freedom.

Today, all wars all over the world are RELIGIOUS WARS, between the persons practicing the world’s 2 great religions. This happens because of NON-TOLERANCE and non-appreciation of each other’s religion and a constant itch to interfere in other’s religions. We cannot shut our eyes to this FACT. It is true that mostly, religious fundamentalists only involve themselves in such activities. But, disturbing fact is, because of non-secular, religious education, the number of such fundamentalists is growing.

INDIA can show the way for true religious freedom and inter-religious tolerance. Let the Best of all religions be there in the curriculum – and let people choose whatever principle they like – not necessarily whatever religion they like.

For example, USA frequently calls the DALI LAMA and listens to his wonderful lectures on Buddhism – but these are applicable to the whole of mankind. Many Hindu Gurus attract just as much attention in the UPA and people there are beginning to understand Indian ethos mow much better. Why can’t Indian Universities also - periodically call eminent well informed religious leaders also – for lectures – as USA is doing?

That should be the Goal of Secular Education – not the present lifeless, goalless, so called secular education.

Readers' views on this important topic are MOST WELCOME

= Yours

(V.Vijayamohan)

IMRAN KHAN - THE LOVABLE POLITICIAN FROM PAKISTAN

IMRAN KHAN

THE LOVABLE POLITICIAN

FROM

PAKISTAN

IMRAN KHAN  has countless admirers on both sides of  the Indo-Pak Border. Today, I saw him on an Indian TV Channel answering wide ranging questions from many well-informed VIPs on the Indian side, with consummate ease, friendliness, and foresight.

I wish, all Pakistanis also see this interview and approve of his views wholeheartedly – and support him and all Pakistani Politicians of his Genre.

It is quite possible that individually, each of us may have some small differences with the views of Imran Khan. But, I feel, most of the viewers in India,  largely agree with his views – which are wonderfully liberal, pleasingly honest and highly optimistic.

Jo khwab aap dekh sakthe hai, voh paa sakthe  hai – said he at the end of the Interview. And, the”Khwab” he has and he showed all attendees at the Interview was of a grand, friendly neighbors, and smooth solutions to all major irritants between the two.

Many questions were well answered by Imran Khan spontaneously and without reservation or hesitation – which is why he is so much liked in India. These answers found immediate acceptance and approval in the hearts of the viewers. 

I am sure, we, in India, also share the same khwab. Indians have absolutely no enmity with the general public of Pakistan and want a friendly Pakistan as it neighbor.

One or two questions remain – in the minds of India and Indians – because of the potential damage that have always done to Indo-Pak relations – and to Pakistan itself in the long run.

(i)                        India is certainly suspicious of the so called NON-STATE ACTORS, who view a very peaceful India  as its enemy No.1 and try time and again to launch terrorist operations on India from Pakistan – which the Pakistan state actors also try to  shield and protect and thereby support the inflicting of  terrorism on India.

Pakistani Public must be made totally aware of these activities and the state must get the Guts to tackle them. They are the biggest thorn in Indo-Pak Relations.

(ii)                    Where from does either Love or Hatred take root in us? It takes root in us when we are children or Youth and are at school or College. If Education tells Children / Youth that Hindus are their enemies, idol-worshippers must be be-headed, Hindu Idols (and temples) should be broken and so on -  and if sections of people believe that and indulge in such actions – terrorists are bound to spring up from such Brain-washed children and Youth.  Education must teach peace and love – and of course bravery to tackle injustice. This is one area which will constantly pose problems for Pakistan itself – and for its neighbors.

(iii)                 On Military, ISI, Nuclear weapons and Kashmir Problem – Imran Khan has given India the best Possible Hope from Pakistan side. If these hopes come true –  Imran will be the BEST THING that ever happened in Indo-Pak relations, Indo-Pak prosperity and mutual friendship.

We wish Imran Khan all success in bringing his Khwab into a GRAND SUCCESS. We wish Pakistani Public all peace and prosperity.

=Yours

Sd/-

(v.vijayamohan)

REFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEM - PART-3 - Teach cooking - Health promoting sports - creative thinking - Most important- Abolish CASTE from the mind of ALL STUDENTS

REFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEM

OUR FUTURE - IN THEIR HANDS - THEIR FUTURE - IN OUR HANDS

PART-3

Reforming Education System is the most urgent and important need in India today.

In 2 parts earlier, we examined -

(1)What Great people think of Education system,and, 

(2) The Need to build Character through Education system.

In this third Part, we will examine in brief, the need to build contemporary Life skills into the Education system.

The Education System that we have built up in India - is perhaps the most LIFELESS, PURPOSELESS Education system that ever existed in this country.

Many people think, that this scholastic, generalist Education, with no focus on life - was introduced by the British, when they ruled India - to manufacture clerks and interlocutors whom they needed, to govern India.

And, the same system continues till this day, with minor modifications.

It doesn't teach a single Life skill. At the end of 12 years of grueling education, students find that they know almost nothing - on how they can earn their living or live a purposeful life.

Our Education system doesn't teach anything worthwhile about contemporary India, its problems, possible solutions, its immediate neighbors  its relations with them and such other important contemporary history, geography and contemporary problems.

It does not make an iota of endeavor to promote Nationalism, patriotism, love of all people in the nation, irrespective of religion, region, caste, creed, state and so on.

Most students don't even know -

(i) the districts in their state and their capitals. 

(ii) the states and their capitals. 

(iii) their fundamental rights and responsibilities.

(iv) how parliament and legislatures must function ( not how they are actually functioning)

(v) their rights and responsibilities vis a vis the other people traveling on Roads by their side , living in their neighboring houses and such other basic, common sense concepts.

(vi) how a Post office, a Bank, a Taluk office, a collector's office or a magistrate court functions - and what services they render to people.

But, students know who ruled India 1000 years before and how. And this history is HIGHLY SUBJECTIVE and inaccurate. What one or two men thought - has become history in most cases - much against what most Indians knew as their ancient history.

India has certain heritage problems - like the CASTE SYSTEM. We all think that this system is not the best thing to retain today. We know that.

The caste system could have vanished very easily and all people could have been made to feel the oneness of India very easily - through the medium of the Education system. 

This could have been accomplished DECADES AGO.

Instead, India is perpetuating the caste system through reservations and many other caste-preserving legislations. 

The CASTE SYSTEM  had some real use in ancient days. Likewise. the Reservation system now does give some benefits to some deserving people.

But, overall, if CASTE system could be made to disappear from our minds, while taking care of ALL THE POOR, the Nation could have reaped much larger, more significant long term benefits by now.

Its small benefits apart - the caste and caste based reservation systems have divided India and Indian psyche very badly. The benefits they have given are minuscule  compared to what could be obtained by abolishing the CASTE SYSTEM smoothly through the Education system and implementing a poverty based Reservation system.

Telling some people that they are inherently inferior or superior compared to some others  is the most unscientific brainwashing that went on in the name of caste system in the past; and THE VERY SAME BRAIN WASHING is now going on in the name of RESERVATION SYSTEM. It is dividing people into two warring camps wholly unnecessarily; 

No doubt, India has great heritage and that great part of the heritage needs to be preserved. That could be done very well by all combined - rather than all divided. 

The Vedas and Upanishads are great. I do not have an iota of doubt about that. Many other Indian ethos and systems are very great. But, their preservation works well, if all minds unite, and all feel equally participative.

This is one Benefit of Education, which India is missing out - for too long,  wholly unnecessarily. Our Education must introduce this concept of National Integration - TODAY. It was needed 66 years ago. It is late now - but at least now, we must wake up to this need.

Second,  basic life skills are not taught in our Education, but they are a MUST. 

Like cooking skills. It is horrifying that neither Boys nor Girls either know or have interest in this, most simple, basic, important life need of COOKING. Do we know that many divorces today hinge on who should cook at home? Many mother in law - Daughter in law hate-fight-alienation is precisely due to this lack of interest of the D-in-law in cooking? Many National problems will vanish if both Boys and Girls know cooking well.

If only Boys and Girls are both taught cooking skills at school and their interests are kindled in this life-skill, many, many household problems will vanish very easily and life of all in the homes will improve a lot.

Not only that, cooking is a science. it must be treated as such; and it must be vastly improved in India. Our Education system must invest in R&D of this cooking science. As human beings, we do not live for food alone; but we can't live without food. It is one of the great pleasures and needs of life.

Right now, cooking that happens in most homes is thoroughly unscientific, unhealthy and not also tasty. People who cook and serve - do not know the art and science of it. Even serving must and can be done with pleasure and not as a hateful part of life.

All this must become an integral  part of the Education system. There must be half a day cooking class in each fortnight of the school study - at school.

Sports and Games must be an essential, INTEGRAL part of the education. Every day-one hour must be devoted to physical education, meaning sports and Games. Today, most Indians are addicted to games like cricket - that too, not playing, but watching. This should change. We must have body building, skill building, strength building sports and games.  Indians, boys and girls both, must understand the need to be healthy and strong. Sports also must promote Unity.  These must be played - scientifically - and AT SCHOOL, in school time. 

How many of the readers know that, over 50 years ago, when we were at school, our sports abilities were tested like in an examination, marks are awarded and these find place in our marks certificate Books - for each class from 8th onwards - and given to us when we pass out from school. That was not sufficient. But, we have now abolished even that system now totally. It is really sad that our contemporary education has no focus on the essentials of the Education system.

All study and no Play makes Jack a Dull Boy. This is the ancient proverbial wisdom - but not learnt and practiced in Indian education system in the last 2 - 3 decades. 

In India, health is taking huge beating. Students especially are getting into a mess as far as health is concerned. Drinks, drugs, a bad life style with addiction to TV, computer etc is  ruling their lives. Cricket especially is making them lazy watchers of the sport - rather than making them players. We need sports like foot ball, volley ball, tennis, weight lifting, pull-ups, gymnastics, and Yoga - all of which enhance the students' physical and mental health. I am not against cricket - but I am against India as a whole, wasting time, merely as watchers of cricket. We don't see any other nation, wasting so much time in merely WATCHING CRICKET. This should change.

Food and health apart, the next most important thing to be introduced in our curriculum is - lateral, creative and objective thinking techniques. A thinking student can learn, retain and use every thing in life much better. A thinking student will move faster towards wisdom - rather than a student who merely memorizes answers to standard questions, repeats them in examinations and secures marks. Our Education system, and more especially, our examination system, must move on to testing the thinking abilities of students rather than their memorizing abilities only. Both are needed - but thinking abilities are more important of the two. 

In examinations, every question is a memory related question and not a thinking related question. All questions - or at least  75% of them - must be thinking related questions. This must change immediately.

The unfortunate paradox today is - many students get depressed if they don't get a few marks more, and some even commit suicide. This tragic stupidity has to be attributed to the shallow education that does not teach thinking skills and values of life.

There are many common life skills that students need. Basic fixing of electrical and electronic gadgets need not wait for Post school specialist trainings. Planting of trees and taking care of them also need not wait. In fact, many such skills are never taught now at school.

Every home has a TV, computer, Telephone, mobile etc today. Why not teach the use of their Basic parts - at school. We find, Engineering Graduates not knowing how to fix simple things in any of these. We all need these basic skills useful in every day life.

I have mentioned a few, most important of such skills. there are many others like this - either equally important or more important than these.

We will see them in another part.

I request readers to discuss, debate and ensure that - together, we reform our education system quickly. I seek all of your views.

Yours

=v.vijayamohan

REFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEM - INDIA’S NO.1. PRIORITY - (Post.2 dt 25-Oct-2012) - ALL ILLS EMANATE FROM BAD EDUCATION

REFORMING

 EDUCATION SYSTEM

INDIA’S NO.1. PRIORITY

(Post.2 dt 25-Oct-2012)

We have already analyzed this All Important Topic once at the URL :

http://wisesociopoliticalideas.blogspot.in/2012/09/reform-education-system-indias-top.html

We have seen in that article -  what Great Persons think of Education and its various facets.

It is an undeniable fact that  - almost all of our social ills emanate from BAD EDUCATION. In this second article on the Topic, I would like to emphasize only one IMPORTANT ASPECT of education.

Education must build Character.

If it does not – then, it is not Education at all. Unfortunately, today’s education is not  building the character to the requisite levels – in our children and Youth. The results of this weakness are there for all of us  to see.

When we read any News Paper, or listen to any media comment – we feel disgusted about the state of affairs, in our Nation. Murder, Rape, terrorism, vandalism, deep seated corruption, open defiance of all laws, law working for different Individuals differently – just about everything that is UNLAWFUL  and UNETHICAL  happens every day in our Great Country.

CHARACTER – implies ETHICAL standards.

One must adhere to Truth. Truthful living must be the Norm and must be encouraged at all levels – especially among students, in whom the character must take roots. Can there be any two Opinions about this?

Buddha and Gandhi are the most recent National Heroes of India who advocated Truth and Non-violence. These are not religious principles. They are pure, social, living principles. If a Society must exist and prosper, its members must adhere to Truth and non-violence.

Living on Honest Earning is a corollary of the first principle.

All Corruption arises out of DISHONEST LIVING and out of the temptation for DISHONEST EARNING. If the Highest to the lowest in the society are tempted to earn money, power, position and even education – by DISHONEST MEANS , clearly the Education system has sunk into a deep abyss.

Even, for earning a Ph.D., many vouch that in India, one has to go through non-meritorious, dishonest, subservient approaches – and that a Ph.D., by itself in India does not imply any Great Talent or focus on the subject. At that level, one should approach the whole effort – both the student and the Guide – in a very sacred, deeply dedicated manner. But, by all accounts, that is not the experience of many who pursue the Ph.D.

Medical Education is more Sacred than any other Branch of Education.

At least this was the opinion till a few decades ago. But, today, even the most non-meritorious student can become a Doctor – either by Money Power & Donations, or, through the caste based Reservation Route. In either of these routes, a certain minimum qualifying marks is a MUST, say, something like 70 percent , else, the existing system is putting the lives of many, many innocent Patients into the hands of Doctors who do not know their job adequately. And, that totally violates the RIGHT TO LIFE  principle in respect of the Patients.

Who can inculcate CHARACTER in to the students in a school? Who else- other than the Teacher?

Teachers must be selected for their  Devotion to the task of Teaching, for their love of the subject, for their unbiased love of their students – and more importantly, their innate CHARACTER.

One BAD TEACHER will churn out thousands of BAD STUDENTS and BAD CITIZENS into the country  during his career – and this is happening in many places.

Selection of Teachers must be done with Great Care – not just by marks or Caste/Religion  – but chiefly by their INNATE CHARACTER, and their character-building skills.

And, Teachers must be respected well – by the entire society.

Anybody and everybody should not be questioning the Teachers. A Teacher must be guided by another BETTER TEACHER  only – not by an Administrator – which is a foolish precedence in India.

CHARACTER – implies UNITY of people.

If today, we stand divided on religious, caste, language, racial and so many other factors – the chief reason is CHARACTERLESS EDUCATION. Education must teach UNITY, which means love for all Indians, irrespective of all the above factors.

Teach the children UNITY; and in one generation of 20 years, India will emerge as the strongest, most cohesive, most peaceful LIVING PLACE on earth. Otherwise, India will be sinking from scam into another more stinking scam – and the stink will be all over the world. Are we at all thinking, what the current level of corruption and scams is making the rest of the world feel about us?

Many of them may be feeling that there are so many of us, willing to sell India for a pittance! For our small selfish ends, many of us may be willing to sell the country’s Interests. It is not a question of HOW MANY OF US are like that – it is just that a foreign nation can find any number of such people among our midst. This feeling can take deeper roots, if the current level of corruption is not tackled headlong.

Therefore we need CHARACTER BASED, CHARACTER INCULCATING Education.

Character implies strong Nationalism.

If people are not taught Nationalism, it is the Biggest tragedy of our education system. We have the best of National Heroes in our Freedom struggle. Utterly unselfish, completely Patriotic, completely Truthful, and what more do we want? Are we promoting our National Heroes?

CASTE DIVISION is  said to be our National shame.

OK. Even if this was originally good in some long, long past, if it is BAD today, we can and we must get rid of it by teaching so in our EDUCATION SYSTEM.

I know that Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Adi Sankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Gandhi – all preached love for all human beings. Adi Sankaracharya  has specifically said that he was himself severely chided by Lord Siva himself for showing a bit of  untouchability practice. All of Rama’s disciples like Guha, Sabari, the Great monkeys, the bears, the Birds, the Rakshasas – come from extraordinarily diverse backgrounds – and Rama loved them all equally. Krishna loved, Vidura, Sanjaya, Kubja more than the Great Kourava kings. He grew up as a Yadava and married in all possible castes. The whole of Mahabharat is full of INTERCASTE MARRIAGES. Yes. CASTE was there.

But, for an example, a BRAHMANA was defined as one who sees all people in himself and sees himself in all people. He must treat all people equally – else he is not a Brahmana. This was the way, Caste remained in ancient days.

But, like any other system, this system also degenerated. Today, we can either change it or DUMP IT totally and replace it with a healthier, equitable system – which is possible through our Education System. We are not doing it. We are doing the opposite. We are perpetrating the same caste system – in a different mould.

CHARACTER must teach self confidence.

Everyone is born with some Unique abilities. No one is inferior. No one must be told that he is INFERIOR. But, our people, especially the Politicians,  say so again and again – merely to create distrust, enmity, different complexes  and divisions in our society today.

We can remove many of our social ills through a strong CHARACTER BASED EDUCATION. But, we are drifting. We are drifting into a bottomless abyss – by not reforming our Education.

The longer we take to introduce an Education which builds character, the greater is the peril for India from its own inside and outside.

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