"Sreyan dravyamayad yajnaj jnanajajna partamtapa
sarvam karma ’khilam Partha jnane parisamapyate"
verse 33, Ch. IV (Jnanayogah), Bhagvad Gita
<…all work without exception culminates in knowledge>
When Ramdin Chacha took to a cellphone–nicknamed buzzerbattoo if you recall–not
many of his fellow village-folks were surprised. Since his youth, Ramdin Chacha
has always been different. He actively participated in the Eid celebrations, not
much to the liking of the village priest. Yet, the same priest was dumbfounded
when faced with Chacha’s knowledge of the Gita and Upanishads. The way he
quoted slokas from the Gita and used them to understand and solve daily problems
of the people was well beyond the understanding of ordinary men. He always
encouraged people not to accept anything at face value, without satisfying
themselves first.
Knowledge, Chacha says, is the first step to being enlightened. That is the
way great Upanishads say. "All Upanishads", he would tell an
ever-attentive audience in his weekly village get-together, "are actually
questions and answers between teachers and disciples. All through the
Upanishads, the teacher encourages disciples to ask questions. And only through
that great quest for knowledge by a few inquisitive people, has the human race
progressed". Here Chacha starts with the example of ‘Prasna Upanishad’
where Mahrishi Yajnabalkya answers questions of his disciples and ‘Katha
Upanishad’ where Yama himself answers questions of Nachiketa about things
beyond death.
And Chacha goes on to end with the example of Sir Isaac Newton, whose simple
quest resulted in the discovery of the gravitational force. "East or west,
the true seekers of knowledge are the world’s greatest army devoted to good
work", he says. "And that is the teaching of Hindu Dharma, too",
he emphasizes, "including tolerance and not hatred towards other
faiths".
Since the last few months, Chacha has been preoccupied with new thoughts. He
has been reading about ‘distance learning’ offering the possibility of a
person receiving education sitting at home, almost about anything under the sun.
No wonder, he has been excited. Chacha has always believed that Ramu, the
seven-year-old son of his neighbor Kishen, is capable of becoming a scientist.
Ramu is so intelligent. But, will he ever get the kind of education he requires
for his early development? Chacha used to worry about this. Now, that problem
does not appear to be a problem anymore, thanks to technology–another love of
Chacha.
Just a few years back, he had to travel so many times to Rampur, the nearby
town, to convince the telefoon department to give a phone to his village. He had
almost given up hope, when the cellular salesman visiting his village gave him
his buzzerbattoo calling it a cordless phone. Life has never been the same for
Chacha or, for that matter, his village Chust Rampur (earlier called Sust Rampur).
He has started believing more in the power of technology. The arrival of
Internet and distance learning, tele-medicine and what not, have further helped
change things.
And now that he has heard about "Gyandoot", Chacha has found true
hope for the Ramus of not only his village, but the entire nation. Let us listen
to Chacha’s thoughts:
"Gyandoot" Project (Madhya |
Gyandoot was launched in Dhar District in January 2000. Dhar or Gyandoot project uses an intranet and a web site connecting rural The kiosks are located in Gram Panchayats either at block Services Offered Include
Key Requirements Availability of telecom infrastructure is critical and the project Gyandoot project has attracted worldwide attention and has been Web site: http://www.gyandoot.net/ |
The Call of Gyandoot
"I have many aspirations from Gyandoot–a true messenger of knowledge.
I want it to spread light in the darkest corners of ignorance. Corners of
oppression, exploitation, corruption and all other ills pervading the system.
However, the demise of a few ill-conceived business prepositions–some dotcoms–cannot
cloud the first ray of the sun, the arrival of hope. That would be the end of
the road even before the journey has begun".
Believe in Technology
"I am a believer in technology. It has been said believing in science is
like believing in God. Vivekananda believed it too. Einstein’s ‘mass-energy
equation’ endorses it. Over ages, the only human problem has been an
incomplete or half knowledge. For want of knowledge, the truth gets suppressed.
Knowledge is the light that brings out the truth and human progress".
Education is the Key
"Therefore, one cannot give up just because one’s knowledge is
incomplete…half baked. We cannot let ignorance come in the path of salvation
of our people. The only solution to solving their problems, be it clothing or
food or water or even their daily livelihood, is through spreading knowledge or
education".
"Today, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is the only
tool that offers a way to spread education and knowledge to the masses. But
knowledge about ICT itself is still in infancy. Its applications and
implications are incomplete just like science and will take some more time to
reach complete understanding and faith. Till then, it runs the risk of being
misunderstood or half-understood. Also, there is a resistance to change by
vested interests, however costly the delays may prove to be for the vast
majority. We have to be wary of such motives".
"Technology can be a curse or boon, we need to understand it first
before applying it. We should apply it first for human welfare and later for
business adventurism, which obviously comes with risks. The widespread human
misery cannot wait any more and needs to be addressed immediately with whatever
tools we can find. This is the biggest mass market if we want to look at it that
way. Let technology pave the way for knowledge and hope for prosperity. Dot.coms
or no dot.com, we need to end the Digital Divide" …Ramdin Chacha.