Where education is a man making process - Revisiting swamiji’s thoughts

Abstract

Having emerged during the colonial regime of British Bengal, SwamiVivekananda, one of the great seers, bore himself the brunt of liberating the superstitious human minds by the mantra of education integrated with the power of spiritualism. To preparethe manifesto inscribing the purpose, nature and methods of education, to promote education to all strata of society, especially to women, were his cardinal humanist preoccupations. He brought about a renaissance in the then staggering Indian education system by sternly criticizingits decline in standard, both qualitative and quantitative. Mere bookish education, to him, was meaningless unless it has utility on the whole in terms of social development and reformation, strengthening self-righteousness, intelligence and above all the formation of inner ‘self’.