Revisiting Nai Taleem and Tradition of Ashrams

Registration ID: IJNRD_225545

Published ID: IJNRD2407343

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BHARTI SHARMA , Prakash Sharma

Nai Taleem, Gandhian swaraj, Constructive works, ashram tradition, sarvodaya, Post gandhi gandhian swaraj, Harijan sevak sangha, temple entry movemnets, T

If Swaraj was the goal of entire Gandhian thought and activism, Nai taleem and tradition of Ashrams were the means to achieve that goal. Nai Taleem entails Gandhian scheme of education, while Ashrams were those learning centers which reflected the practicability of all Gandhian ideals. In a sense they were the centers of education. Swaraj, truth, non-violence, village republics –all are values of Gandhian swaraj. It is only through various agents of socialization that these values are inculcated as a gradual process. Here comes the role of education as a system, which according to Gandhi is not a particular sector as we generally classify it today, education is a point for an overall (socio-economic and political) growth; it unfolds the hidden potential of body, mind and soul and thus reflects how a particular society perceives development . Education is indispensible for an individual and the society. Without it there would be irreparable loss of accumulated knowledge and learning because the standard of conduct is the defining agents of any community. The policy of colonialism survived on the basis of control over the resources, system of learning, as well as over the mind and culture. The entire revision in Marxism also revolve around the fact , how capitalists are using education and culture as soft controlling agencies to neutralize the sense of resistance of any sort against capitalist exploitation. As far as tradition of Ashram is concerned, it is one of the integral features of Indian culture. It was not something that originally began with Gandhi , but here it is worth mentioning that Gandhian ashrams were much more inspired by the Russian sages, especially Leo Tolstoy , wherein ‘leaning through community engagement’ was the key. These ashrams were the centers of Gandhian constructive programs, of which Nai Taleem was an essential component. These were the places, wherein youngsters will be educated in a way to develop their abilities to live in harmony with nature, society and handling the conflicts successfully. While looking into Gandhian thought through all his writings, it appears that, in essence, all these aspects of Gandhian legacy are merely the superstructures, while the base of entire Gandhian vision be it political, economic or cultural is– his eighteen-point constructive programs. What keeps his base and superstructure integrated is his scheme of education -1) Nai Taleem, proposed in Wardha Plan of 1937, 2) Tradition of Ashrams– both were the core cementing agencies. So, this paper attempts to explain Gandhi’s Nai Taleem and tradition of ashrams as a base to his superstructure of Swaraj. Though, the Indian development process in the post independent period has never been completely devoid of Gandhian elements, but no one can deny the fact that Gandhian vision for swaraj is still a distant reality. So, to explain the reason behind the decline of Gandhism in practice if not in ideals, the paper primarily argues on three points: First, Gandhian framework for swaraj and his philosophy of Sarvodaya derive their base from his Nai Taleem and the tradition of ashrams. Second, Gandhian scheme of education is the major determinant of his entire framework of swaraj. Third, as the Gandhi ashrams which were wide spread, lost their vigor in the absence of an effective leadership particularly in eighties (a generational decline in Gandhian methodology), Gandhian swaraj turned into a distant reality. In order to explain these three arguments, this paper is divided into three parts. Part one deals with Gandhian scheme of education. Part Two deals with Gandhian constructive programs and the tradition of ashrams and part three attempts to narrate the state of Gandhian Sarvodaya movement after Gandhi.

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BHARTI SHARMA & Prakash Sharma (July-2024). Revisiting Nai Taleem and Tradition of Ashrams. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 9(7), d643-d654. https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2407343.pdf

Volume 9 Issue 7, July-2024

Pages : d643-d654

Paper Reg. ID: IJNRD_225545

Published Paper Id: IJNRD2407343

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Research Area: Social Science and Humanities 

Country: DEhradun, uttarkhand, India

Published Paper PDF: https://ijnrd.org/papers/IJNRD2407343.pdf

Published Paper URL: https://ijnrd.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJNRD2407343

Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NOVEL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT(IJNRD)

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