Hon'ble Shri Jyoti Basu - An InterviewIn an informal interview at the Writer's Buildings, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Hon'ble Shri Jyoti Basu, a fellow Xaverian, recollected to Dr. Argha Banerjee, Professor English Dept. St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta and Ambarish Singh Roy, Alumnus, B.Com Dept. & Member Editorial Board, his experiences of being a true Xaverian with a tinge of nostalgia .He shared his views not only on his association with St Xavier's but also a wide gamut of relevant issues pertaining to the present educational system and today's youth.
Can you tell us any striking anecdotes that you remember pertaining to your time at St Xavier's?
I was in St Xavier's from 1924, I took my admission in the 2nd standard, and went on to appear for the Senior Cambridge, and Intermediate exams from the school and college respectively. My father was late for my admission, so when we went to St. Xavier's for the 1st standard, they said they were full as they took only 30 students in their class at that time.. I went back the next year .I completed my first standard from Loreto Day school, Dharamtolla, and fortunately I was admitted there, but sister told my father "tell your son he's going to be the only 'boy' student in the class". I belong to a non-political family. Even in St.Xavier's I don't remember any political movement, except in 1930, when there was the famous Chittagong Armoury raid and even a student like me was enthused by that. Next day the Headlines appeared in the newspapers and the students, we quarrelled among ourselves. Most of the students then were British or Anglo-Indian, I remember only two of us were Bengalis, I and a friend of mine, and we thought the raid was a good thing. Why I remember this is because the very next day a leaflet was issued by the authorities at St.Xavier's condemning this incident, so there was a little bit of tiff between us.
Teachers who left an impression on you.
There was a lecturer Mr. Rolland and one Fr. Shields, he was an Irishman, I think, whom I still remember. I remember Fr. Shields because even after I came back from England and joined politics, he came to our house and met my wife. Now he is no more, I think he was later in Ranchi St.Xavier's. There were some others, most of them were Belgians, Irish or foreigners and one or two Anglo-Indians were also there. I can't recall their names.
Subject-wise, which were you more interested in?
I was more interested in Arts, I was bad in Mathematics. There was one Mr. Hall who was a very fine teacher. Only once did I have to take tuitions in mathematics because I got frightened, I was really bad in mathematics.
Speaking of tutors, it is a very sensitive issue, like you mentioned once you had a private tutor, now it has become a run of the mill exercise.
Nowadays everybody seems to keep private tutors, especially those who have the money. I feel very sad about it. It is a very bad thing that has happened, although the remuneration of the teachers has gone up, of course they have to teach a lot more students now. I remember in our times it was 30 students in one class; I don't know what's happening in St.Xavier's now. But when we were there I was very impressed by the dedication of the teachers, be it in school or college, and we had a team of dedicated teachers to guide us. We had regular weekly exams. I remember we were given cards according to the numbers we received. If one received a Grey card thrice, he would be expelled from school. Fortunately I never got that card! There were different cards according to gradations, for instance, there was another one for academic excellence. But coming back to the issue of interest in subject, I was more interested in Arts than in Science subjects. From the sixth standard I remember I had Latin as my subject, there was no provision for Bengali, so in Senior Cambridge, I know it may sound strange but I had Hindi as one of my subjects along with Latin, and not Bengali. It was very easy to pass in Hindi I remember!
How would you compare the education system of today with the one prevalent in your times?
Now a days the situation is bit different, I do not blame the teachers but the system has become such that are a lot of boys in a class, so, like in our times individual attention cannot be given to the students. In our times teachers used to give a lot of individual attention, they used to call us after class and sort out our problems; you don't have those things anymore. The schools and colleges are overcrowded today with little scope for individual attention.
Curriculum
The curriculum has certainly changed for the better staying in tune with the modern requirements of subjects like electronics, computers. It is difficult to compare and generalize but one can nonetheless compare and say that a lot of variety has been introduced into the curriculum for the better, according to the requirement of modern times. Students today have a lot to choose from unlike our days.
What about the brewing commercialization of education?
If you talk about the whole of India, that is what has happened, that is what we have been trying to avoid for the 23 years that we have been in government and you know we have made education free upto the level of class 12. But we think, from our experience that private institutions are also necessary. We have to involve the Industrial houses in setting up Schools and colleges. We think now, more than ever that mix is necessary. Like we didn't have these private engineering colleges, now we've got 12 of them, another 12 are coming up. But we didn't have these previously, that is why people blame us because we didn't have these private institutions so our students had to go to other states and study. But at present we are having a 'mix'.
Students' participation in politics.
St.Xavier's was one place I remember, where there was no politics. Even then, when there were strikes in other institutions, St.Xavier's never joined. This I remember, but again one incident happened, I think it was in 1930 or '32, when Gandhiji went on fast, in his non-cooperation movement and I used to come to school with my father who was a doctor, I told my father that I didn't feel like going to school on that day as Gandhiji was on fast. He didn't object to that at all, he wasn't a political person; he said, "Okay you come with me and sit in my chambers."
You asked me a question about student's involvement in politics; I think they have to be involved. If what we thought during the Freedom struggle had happened, that wouldn't have been necessary. We thought the British were responsible for all the ills that happened in India, but after 50 or 52 years of Independence we see that students still have to be involved in politics because of the unemployment situation, they don't get jobs, they don't know what is going to happen to their future. They have to be aware of the planning processes, the economy which has evolved, and also discuss among themselves, the different points of views and philosophies that prevail. But people like me, who think like me, we tell them, “that you have to be in politics, you have to know what is happening, because that is your future. What is going to happen to our country, from the economic point of view, from the social point of view, from the political point of view involves the future. But studies are most important. That you must not neglect at any cost. Unfortunately for our country, what we never thought would happen, 40% of the population is illiterate. Since some of you have got the opportunity to study, you must make the best of it. That is the kind of advice we give them. The students have their own organizations, they are not political, and they debate among themselves about the education system, the syllabus and we ask them to give us their views. If all that was promised during independence had happened, then students would have been interested in building the nation. But that is not the situation. Students have also entered into politics. Sometimes they have to go on strikes; then again I say concentration should be on the studies, that is the main thing. But of course you have to be concerned about your future. You have to know what is the 9th plan? What happened to the 8th plan? What is your future? Will you get a job or will you be in business? Because your future is involved.
Opinion about the brain drain
Students, when they get an opportunity, they go abroad. We talk about brain drain, but I am in two minds about it. I would like all of them to help us in India, but we can't give them the opportunity. The Bengali Doctors who reside in America once invited me. They have their organization and they hold their annual conferences, and one of them took me to Toronto, I think there were about 250 of them, when I saw their bio-data, I said I don't talk about brain-drain anymore. We haven't been able to give them the opportunity, but they are doing so well there. The doctors are very well known, some of them have written books also, so I was very happy and I told them “you work here and when the opportunity comes you may also come back" some of them are coming back. I think more opportunities will be opened up for them with the progress in the fields of information technology, electronics, computers and so on.
Do you think students now have given up their idealism and become more self-indulgent?
Well that is the society. That is western society that is having its infection on our society also. What can be done? Television and electronic media newspaper and so on…. It's not quite proper what is happening. We are losing our grip on our own culture. I don't say we should remain where we were, we should adopt what is good from outside also of our country whether in arts science or technology. But we must have a base of our own. Unfortunately, my feeling is that the younger generation gets allured by that the media exposure of the Western Society. Their entertainment should be based on our own culture along with what is best in other cultures also.
Message for Xaverians
St Xavier's my school, my college whenever I hear that someone is from there I feel happy and I again tell them that you have got this opportunity Work hard, study study study! Try to take the best the institution has to offer you, especially the hard work of the teachers, try to do your best not only for yourself and your family but for the country as well.
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