Page 81 - Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 21st Century ISBN

21oha “krkCnh esa vkpk;Z fouksck Hkkos dh izklafxdrk

achieved by educating children through a productive vocation. He along with his colleagues founded
Gujarat Vidyapith in 1920. It was centre of learning from school to higher education. Vocation was

central to the education at Vidyapith. The next major breakthrough at national level came in 1937. A
national convention was convened at Wardha. Gandhiji presided over the convention and in his inaugural

address he laid bare the philosophy of education as he understood and suggested its structure. Hectic
and serious discussion ensued. It was agreed upon that a nationalist education should replace the then

prevalent British promoted education system. The new system of education was named as Nai Talim
or Buniyadi Taleem. Main features of Nai Talim were the following.

1. Education was to be imparted in mother tongue.
2. Education would have vocational and not literary orientation.

3. It would be financially self-supporting.

Nai Talim Thought Carried Forward
In Gandhi’s ideal of education human heart and brain had to be educated along with hands. It

is the education of ‘Heart, Hand, and Head’ that has to be undertaken in unison with priority being
given to heart first. This expectation is very rational because it is through heart and hands that human

beings have to produce and consume to live in perpetual harmony. Gandhiji had observed, “…the
work of basic education is the last work of my life. If by the Grace of God, it is completed, Hindustan

will be totally transformed. The present system of education is useless…” ‘My definition of Nai Talim
is that if a person, who has received Nai Talim, is enthroned, he would not feel vanity of power; on the

other hand, if he is given a broom, he will not feel ashamed. For him both the jobs will be of equal
importance. There would be no place of vain rejoicing in his life. No student of Nai Talim should be

dull, because each part of his body would be active and he would have nice neuro muscular coordination.
When the people would do manual labour, there would be no unemployment or starvation. My Nai

Talim and village industries are mutually complementary. When they both will be a success, we will
attain true Swaraj. 5
6
In a speech on Nai Talim delivered in November 1945 and published in Khadi Jagat , his
comment on education through craft was, Nai Talim means teaching through craft. That basic craft has

to be selected in the light of the conditions and produce of the region. For instance, it would not be
proper to have khadi as a means of teaching in a region where cotton does not grow, but has to be

imported for the purpose.
Addressing the Education Ministers of the Indian Provinces in 1946 he commented on the

issue of English and mother tongue thus.

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