In today’s turbulent time and age, when women across our world are responsibly discharging their duties as Presidents and Heads of State, industrialists and entrepreneurs, social activists and sarpanches, we acknowledge and applaud this spectrum of socio-political change witnessed over the last one hundred years. International Women’s Day, marked this week, is also the perfect occasion to recall the contribution of women thinkers-philosophers and educationists like Sister Nivedita who wrote voluminously on ‘education’ and ‘education for women.’

Not a coincidence that Prof Sugata Bose, hailing from the illustrious family of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, recently lauded Sister Nivedita’s role in harmonizing different streams of thought of Swami Vivekananda and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Sister Nivedita played a pivotal role in ensuring that philosophical foundations laid by these iconic personalities were implemented as action plans. What is significant today, and a pointer to the multiple crises affecting our modern education system, is her emphasis on ‘national education’, ‘nation-making’ and ‘education for women’.

Published in 1923 is the compilation of her papers and essays titled ‘Hints on National Education in India’, an invaluable resource for those drawing upon the past to build a new future. In ‘Paper on Education ~ V’, Sister Nivedita spelt it out: “The reconstitution of a nation has to begin with its ideals. This, because in a nation three primary elements have to be considered, first the country, or region, second, the people, and third, the national mind. Of the three, the last is dominant, and all-directing.

By working through it, we may modify or even re-create either or both of the other two while their influence upon it is comparatively feeble and indirect. Mind can re-make anything, however inert or rebellious, but a rebellious mind, what can reach? It follows that in national reconstruction there is no other factor so important as education. How is this to be made national and nationalising? What is a national education? And conversely, what is un-national? And further what kind of education offers the best preparation for the attempt to solve the national problems? What type of education would be not only national, but also nation-making?” With her focus on national education, she wrote, “A national education is, first and foremost, an education in the national idealism.

We must remember, however, that the aim of education is emancipation of sympathy and intellect. This is not often reached by foreign methods. By this fact of the attainment of the universal, must the education ultimately stand justified, or condemned. To........

© The Statesman