Know Thyself, Know Thy History

Continuing my series on Education at Newsinsight.net

Before I go on to the article, let me share with the readers a picture of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, the grand temple built by Rajendra Chola. This July marked the 1000-year anniversary of the coronation of this mighty ruler of Chola Empire.

Chances are that if you don't live in Tamil Nadu, you probably missed this piece of news. Why is that so? Just this question itself is worth pondering a lot, no? 

In a way, it speaks of the larger issue I try to bring out in my second article in the series on Education I am doing for the magazine, Newsinsight.net

(Photo by Suhas Mehra)

Preface:
UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, 2001 emphasizes dialogue of cultures and civilizations, and asserts that creativity draws on the roots of cultural tradition but it flourishes in contact with other cultures. If we want Indian youth to develop and draw upon their innate creativity, it is imperative that they must have a deep and critical knowledge of their rich heritage and cultural traditions.

Indian spiritual wisdom teaches us that one must consciously try to become aware of different parts that make oneself, and make continuous attempts to live, as much as possible, in accordance with the inner truth that guides and determines one’s path of life. When our self-expression — the line of work we do, our connections with others, our growth through life-experiences, our motivations and intentions, everything — begins to flow from our unique inner law of being, we are on the path to discover our swadharma (the true purpose of our existence in this life). This is certainly not an easy task. But it is the first necessity.

Same is true of the nation. Only when Indian children, youth and people know the inner history of India and its evolutionary march, can they truly be connected to the Indian spirit and work toward manifesting it through their works and actions.

To read my article "The Art of Questioning - 2", click here.

And do come back here and share some of your thoughts, reactions, responses!