Some people might question the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi in the field of education. Yet, this exceptional man was one of the greatest educators, who according to Albert Einstein, ?Generations to come, may be, will scarcely believe that such a one, as this, ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth.? In fact Gandhi was one of the greatest teachers in nonviolence and truth the world has known. Not only have his methods contributed in liberating his country from British colonial rule, but they have also influenced leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Luther King in their struggle for justice and freedom. It is not surprising that the 61st UN general assembly has earmarked today, 2nd October, his birth anniversary, to henceforth celebrate the International day of nonviolence.

Gandhi who visited Mauritius and contributed to the welfare of its people by encouraging Manilall Doctor to give them a helping hand, would surely be pained by the level of indiscipline and violence in its schools. He surely would have encouraged us to go back to the basics of education, which according to him lies in teaching the difference between good and bad, assimilating the one while eschewing the other, failing which education would be an empty word, a ?misnomer?.

Equal respect for all trades

Children should be taught to respect and nurture truth and nonviolence, which is very difficult in our days when violence is glorified, for instance, in movies and lying is a way of life (advertising is often misleading). They should also be taught their duties. Gandhi as a child was fully conscious of his duty towards his sick father for whom he had a ?keen desire to serve as nurse (?) as soon as school closed? he ? would hurry home and begin serving him?.

Gandhi soaked in an environment, which underpinned these values, his mother was deeply religious while his father was a hard task and honest master. School teachers were discipline-oriented and disobedience was dealt with seriously. At school, Gandhi was a perfectionist who believed ?bad handwriting was a sign of an imperfect education? . On rare cases, when he went wrong, he apologised and promised not to reenact like that day he expressed regrets to his father for having given in to the wrong influence of a friend who made him smoke and eat meat while it was against their convictions.

Gandhi believed ?that children should first be taught the art of drawing before learning how to write?. He valued handicraft as a means for people to express themselves in a loving and truthful way. Therefore Gandhi had equal respect for all trades. Though he was a British educated lawyer, he valued the manual worker as much as the white collar one. He was very proud of his vernacular language.

The great soul also walked his talk. The way he dressed was consistent with the values he professed. Is it always the case with our educators? Had Gandhi addressed himself to teachers, who are celebrating Teacher?s Day next Friday, he surely would have given them the same advice he had given to businessmen: ?A student is the most important person in our work place. He is dependent on us as much as we are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by educating him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.?

Happy Birthday Mahatma!