In English
Learning is of no use if not put into practice
So be brave and confident. My birthday festival will not be marred by any dispiriting news; it will be made happier for you by quite positive cheerful news, I am sure. I must now speak about the school that has this function today. Minister is also Minister for Planning, and he also spoke about the plan for education. No amount of planning or even carrying out the plan will help if the things learnt in schools are not put into practice. For example, there are lessons on health and hygiene in the textbooks of even the primary classes. They are all learnt by rote and repeated, but examine how far they are practised. Look at the village roads, the village well, the village home, the village children and tell Me whether fifty or sixty years of teaching the rules of health and hygiene has had any effect! If even these matters involving life and well-being are neglected, I need not tell you that other subjects that are laboriously taught in schools produce even less effect. What profit is it for the children to know the length of the Mississippi River or the height of Vesuvius? Why load them with information they may never require? On the other hand, give them the tonic to strengthen that spirit - the tonic of the repetition of the name of the Lord, the tonic of meditating on the glory of God in the silence of the heart. Formerly, children were learning repetition of ’s name () and of the garland of letters (the ) together; they used to read and write “ .” Now, they sing, “Ding dong bell; puss is in the well.” This type of silly meaningless jargon is spreading everywhere like a poisonous infection destroying the seeds of peace and joy. The doctor does not give any medicine that comes to his hand. He diagnoses the illness, studies the patient, their background, ancestry, habits, food, likes, and dislikes. Then he prescribes the appropriate remedy. For the illness of greed, hurry, hatred, and discontent that affects this country now, along with the rest of the world, the planners of education must discover the correct remedy. Then they will find that the first few steps in spiritual discipline must be taught even in childhood. People have the springs of joy and peace in their heart,s even as children. Cultivate them, give them the fullest freedom to gush forth and fertilise all fields of activity - that is the real purpose of education.