Dr. S. V.
Prabhath, Chairman, NCRI
Indian culture is
one of most vibrant cultures in the world and rural culture forms
its backbone. Some people tend to pitch urban and rural culture in a
hierarchical form. This is incorrect. The urban culture may be
functional to an industrial context. So is the rural culture to the
context of rural development.
Thankfully, a good
proportion of India’s population lives in the rural areas; which
means that urbanization hasn’t yet consumed its souls i.e. rural
India, despite some signs of the disconcerting air of their urban
brethren rubbing on to the rural populace.
technology is rapidly changing our life styles, and one has to
factor in the in the impact of this change on rural India as well.
windfalls of applying appropriate technology in the rural areas,
especially in agriculture and allied fields, are heartening, total
submission to modernization is not desirable and has to be avoided
at any cost. This can be done right from the formative years of
children, when they have just begun acquiring knowledge.
It is commonly
believed, in development circles, that social and cultural in rural
India has been slow. Well, conversely, it can be argued that this
resistance to completely succumb to this technological change by
rural India is what has preserved our identity and held us together.
to pursue a
culture-sensitive approach to development, there is a need to better
understand cultural diversity and how it affects/ marks on the
process of development.
If one looks back
into the pages of our history, one would find that, invariably,
culture has been the platform for all socio-economic development.
Our traditional practices, derived from scores of cultures which are
traditionally distinct yet significantly transcending, have been
central tour economic growth, as indeed that of our civilization.
The (traditional) practices provide a stimulus to trade and
commerce, which in turn patronize culture. Hundreds of festivals,
fairs, melas and other cultural events, month after month and year
after year, in a sort of logical sequence, present a myriad range of
avenues for trade and commerce.
The cyclic and
cascading effect of the above process is the reason behind the
development and prosperity of many a culture rich civilization.
Education- the inseparable twins
Having looked at
how culture has provided the necessary impetus to the economy
through the ages, let us now see the implications of education on
culture and , consequently, on the rural sector.
Radhakrishnan said, “ The aim of education is no the acquisition of
information, although important, or acquisition of technical skills,
though essential in modern society, but the development of that bent
of mind, that attitude of reason, that spirit of democracy which
will make us responsible citizens.”
comprehensive education system would help shape the younger
generation into one that has a sound ethical base and a strong sense
of social responsibility.
education are inseparable and yet complementary with multiple points
of interaction. Culture paves the way for education while education
is responsible for flavoring the cultural values in life. Therefore,
both have to be interwoven in various ways.
A sense of pride
in our culture has to manifest itself through all the stages of an
individual’s growth. Primary education is where it all starts and
the child begins to respect the importance of a value based life as
s/he and he sees things and events happening, and the behavior of
collectively, form the personality that develops in the process.
Therefore, it is necessary to inculcate the importance of education
and value based living for a truly sustainable development of the
rural sector. The maxims of Gandhiji, Tagore, Vinoba Bhave and many
other social activists, bordering one equitable living, rural
empowerment, voluntary rural reconstruction and transformation, and
sustained rural development, have to be made as the central themes
of the education system.
on strong cultural values will help students understand and
acknowledge the significance of culture in the development context.
Education devoid of culture will only serve as a flight to
When one uses the
phase ‘education rooted in culture’. what it means is that if
education has to serve as and engine for development, especially in
the rural areas, then it has to extract the best out of our values
that have stood the test of time in the face of adversities ranging
from tyranny to colonialism/ imperialism or other turbulences and
propel ourselves onto the path of inclusive development.
development of a nation hinges on how much its rural segment has
been mobilized to contribute to the over-all growth. While material
growth is evident amongst many nations, the cultural dividend is
grossly missing. Some cultures has been lost to reconstruct their
history, picking up bits and pieces of their cultural heritage
whatever little can be traced in order to revive some of their
cultures. So, as we can see, although there is rural development,
the cultural pedigree is often missing.
Fortunately, we in
India, haven’t yet fallen prey to the machinations of technological
advancement leading to the depletion of our cultural base. But, if
we do not pause and take stock of things now, and initiate necessary
action, we will join the company of others who lost their cultural
Cultures, as a
matter of fact, keep adjusting to the times without losing much of
their original flavor. Take for example, the festival of Deepavali (Diwali,
as it is also known ) was long celebrated by lighting the
traditional ‘Diyas’ (Lamps), symbolic of the victory of good over
evil. But, the advent and impact of science, and the resultant
innovations over time-especially during the twentieth (20th) century
has been immense and we now see the same festival being celebrating
by firing crackers (eye catching, multi-variety)’ preceded however,
by the tradition of lighting the lamps without fail!
We can have quite
a few examples of tradition being kept alive as a parallel to the
process of modernization. What all this hints at is that development
must be a result of the synergy between education and culture.
As has been
already pointed earlier, while the western-culture has almost
over-shadowed our cultural practices across the entire metropolis,
cities and towns, a value based system still appears to be breathing
in rural India and it’s hinterlands. This needs to be preserved,
nurtured and propagated. And, to be able to do that, all efforts
must be put in to ensure that villagers, tribal people and
aboriginals stay in the rural areas, which will only be possible if
we are able to bring to them what they seek from the urban areas:
access to proper education (primary, secondary and higher), training
and support, and employment and income-generation opportunities on
par with their urban counterparts.
Source: Ailaan, NCRI Newsletter, Vol. II,
Issue IV, April 2011