9th September, 1990 My dear Pranav,
I have written to you many letters so far, and tried to introduce some ideas which Vinoba talked about in his life time. Incidentally, 11th September is the birth date of Vinoba. I have told you that he was born at Gagode in the Raigad District of Maharashtra on that day in 1895. He would have been 95 if he were alive. He died on 15th November, 1982 at the age of 87.
Vinoba developed his ideas of Nai Talim (New Education) when he was implementing that idea of Gandhiji. His book on education has so many thought-provoking ideas. He was always fascinated by new ideas, and he wanted Nai Talim to remain Nitya Nai Talim (continuous new education). Change is the only permanent part of life. He therefore wanted education to be continuously in flux.
Vinoba considered himself first and foremost a student. His teaching was really a bye-product. He was continuously searching for a meaning in life. He went on changing. He always wanted to remain alert for changes in the life around him. His basic values were firm. But he was continuously learning new ones.
He was a Lok-shikshak (teacher of the people) . Whatever he learnt, he went on disseminating to others.
He was not happy with the educational structure in India. Immediately after independence, he wanted to close the educational institutions, give a holiday to children to play and wanted educa- tionists to think of new kind of education necessary for Independent India. Nobody listened to him. We went on producing students who were fit for jobs but not so much for work.
All over the world, education is in the hands of the government. Vinoba was opposed to that. He said that education
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