The Adventure of Education November 1949

While the whole of India was rejoicing as best as it could and celebrating the 15th of August this lonely pilgrim this frail man of God was trudging the villages of Bengal to allay the flames of communal madness knowing that the fight for freedom had not ended but had to be continued in the hearths and homes and in the hearts and minds of millions of people living in the villages and cities [...] He has broken down the barriers and bridged the distance which divided the classes from the masses the politicians and the intellectuals from the common people and so the way is open to us to follow in his footsteps and carry on the task of bringing about an intellectual reorientation both amongst the educated classes and the people in general. [...] If we are to bring the broad masses of the people in every land to the table of abundance it can only be by the tireless improvement of all our means of technical production and by the diffusion in every form of education of an improved quality to scores of millions of men and women. [...] Applying the system to village conditions one would see the teacher taking a class in set lessons or supervising indivdual work during the 42 hours allotted in the school building and then during the rest of the day making himself a part of the life of the village and a centre of culture for the children in his own home. [...] The students of to-day shall occupy the White Halls of tomorrow and in the correct education of these future leaders lies the future peace and the progress of the World.