The Mahatma returns

Mahatma Gandhi inspired a whole generation of Indians with his visionary philosophy.

Mahatma Gandhi inspired a whole generation of Indians with his visionary philosophy. But Gandhi has few followers today and perhaps those who run Gram Dakshinamurti School in Manar, Gujarat, are among them.

I visited this coastal village during my research work on the Alang ship-breaking yard. Based on the Mahatma8217;s model of basic education, the agricultural boarding school, Gram Dakshinamurti, was started in 1951 by the late Padmashree Nanabhai Bhatt, a veteran educationist of this century. Gandhiji and Nanabhai believed that the kind of educational system the British had introduced in India was alien to it, where the majority of the population lived in villages, They, therefore, came up with the concept of lokshala or folk schools, with a strong rural base.

However, in 1981, with the development of one of Asia8217;s biggest ship-breaking yard and its ancillary industries at Alang, five kilometres from Manar, the peaceful environs of Gram Dakshinamurti came under the onslaught of all kinds of negative influences. For one thing, the flow of traffic to Alang increased manifold, leading to pollution. There was also an increase in the flow of immigrant labour, which gave rise to drinking and cheap entertainment. The students who earlier used to go to the sea coast on religious festivals now found the environment of Alang more attractive.

It became more and more difficult for the teachers to maintain the unique identity of their school environment. Gandhi8217;s philosophy began to lose colour. The authorities began to seriously consider shifting the school elsewhere, but some of the staff held fast. At their initiative, the government authorities were requested to construct an alternate route to Alang, which would bypass Gram Dakshnamurti School. At the same time, modern forms of entertainment like television, VCRs and games were procured for the school. These efforts bore fruit, and Gram Dakshinamurti got to reclaim the spirit of Gandhi.