Temples of Higher Learning & Social Responsibility

Contrast

There is a say in Oriya “Pokhari re pani thile aaadi ki sitala”i.e. ponds keep its surroundings cool. But, there could be counter examples too e.g. a slum adjacent to plush colony, crazy things around a temple and a huge illiterate mass around temples of higher learning. I could realize it distinctly while I was at IIT Kharagpur in early part of 80s. Many years have passed but the contrast persists. Now even one can see the same. Look at around Universities/Institutes you find a huge mass of illiterate children in near by slums. Indifference is plenty at all levels. The people blessed to enter these temples are usually cut to look up and up so that people around them don't come in their line of sight. The most blessed one are of-course export items!

Justified?

In a sense these institutes are right in their way – that is concentrating on higher education -as that is the reason for funding. Thus, the purists justify the indifference. They are true in that sense. But is it fulfilling?
The sights: children engaged in construction sites in education campus, little kids passing through university main gate carrying a load of dry twigs on their heads with soiled matted hairs, mothers putting kids on swings tied to tree branches and engaged in laying cables for cellular telephone companies and many such, don't sink hearts of high priests then certainly there is something wrong and the trait is not justified.

Sensibility

Particularly, it is essential to sensitize our young graduates for making them socially responsible . Probably, for the purpose the programmes like NSS and NCC are designed. I'm not sure how much impact these have made on student community- certainly not up to desired level; may be due to the way these programs are being conducted.

However, the process of sensitizing students need not hinge on these two programs only. Teachers as well as other functionaries of a University must explore every possible method for the purpose as, I believe it's vital not only to build future but also to realize the self. In academic activities teachers can try in utmost way to bring the students on the top of the temple and ask them sometime to look down to find the unfortunates around the temple looking at the temple with dazed eyes and wandering around the temple and wandering on wishful prophetic words by our seers: “Sa Vidya ya Muktaya”. Where are these words of Gurudev Tagore – where the knowledge is free ........

Not a difficult task for any of us to find out what can we do within our purview just by stretching our bit towards our surroundings. For example, persuading as well as encouraging students to take up social relevant projects as their study projects. This small step by a University will certainly make big impacts by not only providing solutions to social problems thus making students socially responsible, but also assuring a dream to these dazed eyes and then making higher education socially relevant.
In order to be specific, I'm presenting an example for computer science graduates. None or very few take up projects that are relevant to society. Projects like developing information systems for managing a municipality/panchayat activities, habitats, optimal utilization of natural sources, counsellings and several such projects are not only socially relevant but also academically (both in theory and technology point of view) rigorous. Universities to encourage students for looking up social issues into their curriculum should award them with extra credits and provide necessary interfaces. I'm sure one can find such examples for any other subjects. This kind of excuses will bring the younger generation to their roots and also help them to blossom as entrepreneurs born with social responsibility. A telescopic view on development and management of panchayat information systems by its local youth, shows a tremendous employment opportunity - an egalitarian approach for building digital society.

Sparks

Sporadic examples on institutes' interventions on society are of-course available. I'll quote a few I know. Dr.Kota Harinarayana – the hero of LCA project was once the vice-chancellor of University of Hyderabad. He is an amazing personally with varied interests and enormous zeal. Among many good things he did, literacy programme for slum dwellers and villagers is the best one. Students volunteered and teachers guided to slums and villagers thrice in a week to spread literacy. Another programme called 'Community College' he initiated to train dropouts for employability.
Another example, I'll quote from Orissa. Private engineering colleges are usually run like corporates and general belief is that these are in business. Instead of delving into this debatable issue, I'd like to quote a praiseworthy positive example set by Dr.Achyuta Samant the founder of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneshwar. Dr.Samant has established an exclusive institute KISS (Kalinga Institute of Social Science) for tribal students. It's a unbelievable experience to see five thousand tribal students engaged in excelling themselves. There could be some more like these due to few more Samaritans. But, certainly the number is not enough for a country of more than a billion population. In order to sensitize a large number of people, educational institutes should play a vital role. And the most effective method is to integrate social work into curriculum. That integration will lead towards completeness in life as Isha Upanishad tells:

Aandhang tamah prabishanti yehbidyamupasate
Tato bhuya eeba te tamo ya wu bidyaya nha ratahaaa.

“Into a blind darkness they enter who follow after the ignorance, they as if into a greater darkness who devote themselves to the knowledge alone”.{The Upanishad Part-1, Sri Aurobindo, Page21].

Hrushikesha Mohanty
March 2008

Note
This is my personal opinion only.