Awakening of India - 1947

New Delhi – Prime Minister's Office, South Block – 30th April 1948

The flags across New Delhi still flew at half-mast, mourning Gandhi's death ten days earlier. But inside Arjun Mehra's office, there was no grief, but only the cold focus of men building a future.

After all, mourning would build the nation, now, will it?

The makers of new India sat around the conference table: Arjun, Sardar Patel, Education Minister Narahari Parikh, Planning Minister G.B. Pant, and Finance Minister Vishwajeet Rao Kelkar. Their briefcases held reports that would be used for the transformation of nation.

Arjun dispensed with pleasantries. "Narahari-ji, do you have the education plan that I asked?"

Parikh straightened, his academic manner now steeled by months under Arjun's leadership. "I do, Prime Minister. Since free education for all children until age fourteen is massive in terms of scale, I propose that we use a two-stream approach, deployed in three waves over thirty months."

He opened his folder. "Stream One covers our villages—seventy-five percent of India. We call them Learning Outposts. Not brick schools at first, but canvas tents, bamboo sheds, classes under trees. Setup takes one to three weeks.

Basic supplies: portable blackboards, chalk, mats, locally printed books in every language. One teacher per forty students, supported by traveling assistants."

Parikh's voice grew stronger. "The principle is simple: if children cannot reach school, then the school reaches them."

"Stream Two covers towns and cities—the remaining twenty-five percent. These will be Permanent Education Centers. Real brick buildings with two to four rooms, built in six to nine months. They get libraries, science kits, proper sanitation. Full-time teachers, including retired educated soldiers who is willing to be the part of this initiative."

He outlined the timeline, "As you said, Prime Minister, from 1950 onwards, Phase One will start, i.e, 1950 to early 1951, where Learning Outposts will be made active in three-quarters of villages, and Education Centers will be built in a hundred major towns.

Phase Two, from 1951 to 1952, Outposts will expand to ninety-five percent coverage and five hundred new Centers will be added.

And finally, Phase Three, 1952 to 1953, in this we convert forty percent of Outposts to permanent buildings and will add clinics and meal programs to Centers."

Patel, usually focused on security matters, nodded slowly. "The scale is massive indeed, Narahari-ji. But the staged approach...it's definitely practical and efficient."

"Exactly, Sardar-ji. Education Centers will train new teachers. Learning Outposts will share books and assistants every three months.

We'll create curriculum in Delhi but translate it everywhere. And here's the key—enrollment links to ration cards. Want government services? Your children attend school.

Moreover, Prime Minister, I propose that we soft launch the scheme in rural areas. That way, we'll be able to access how this will work out when the scheme is officially implemented."

Arjun's eyes flickered with satisfaction. "Excellent, Narahari-ji. Well planned. Use the Citizen Reserve Corps for construction and teacher training. Their educated youth are perfect for this."

As Parikh concluded, Arjun reached into his folder and pulled out a document labelled 'Education Reforms'.

Parikh and the others leaned forward, with Narahari already having a faint guess of what it could be.

"Here, Narahari-ji," Arjun said with a slight smile, handing the document to the Education Minister. "I believe you already have an idea what this is."

He had promised to present the draft three weeks ago—on the same day Parikh would present his report on Mandatory education.

Even Patel, usually calm and reserved, showed a flicker of interest. Education reform was no trivial matter. And knowing Arjun, it's bound to make headlines.

"So, what changes have you made to the curriculum, Prime Minister?" Patel asked, glancing at Arjun with a raised brow.

Arjun didn't answer. He simply smiled and gestured to Parikh, "Why don't you read it aloud, Narahari-ji"

Parikh nodded toward Arjun and began reading sections out loud.

1. Cultural Decolonization:

- Remove colonial narratives that distort Indian history, science, and philosophy.

- Reclaim and restore ancient Indian contributions in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and metaphysics.

- Teach history from Indian primary sources, including the Vedas, Arthashastra, Sangam literature, and Buddhist-Jain texts.

2. Foundational Literacy:

- Ensure all children till the age of 14, who will receive compulsory education, will also learn about:

- Knowledge of civil rights and duties.

- Ability to recognize and resist propaganda.

3. Syllabus Design and Book Development:

- A new Class-13 will be added after the 12th standard, with the main aim to guide the students with their careers, and to ensure that they take up the field that they actually want, in the college.

- Scholarly teams will translate the syllabus into:

- Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, and others.

4. Centralized Academic Standards:

- All core curriculum books will be authored and published by a newly established Central Board of Education (CBE) under Ministry of Education.

- Private and public institutions will follow the same base curriculum.

- Public schools will be divided into 3 categories: Elementary, Middle, and High. They will have separate schools for all 3 categories. Schools from KG to 5th standard will be classified as - Elementary schools, 6th to 9th as Middle schools, and 10th to 13th as High schools.

- State Boards may add region-specific content (language, geography, folklore, state history).

5. Language Policy:

Every student will learn:

- Their mother tongue or state language.

- A common technical language — Sanskrit is proposed for science, mathematics, and logic due to its structural precision and neutrality.

- Optional exposure to 'Inglish' (reformed Indian English) for international compatibility.

6. Scientific Temperament with Bharatiya Roots:

- Teach the scientific method through Indian innovations (e.g., Ayurveda, metallurgy, architecture).

- Highlight Indian pioneers like Aryabhata, Charaka, Panini, Bhaskaracharya, Nagarjuna, and Madhava of Kerala.

- Create a new stream of education in Indic logic, mathematics, philosophy, and art, and to ensure they're rewarded, Ministry of Home Affairs will hold a mega cultural fair annually, where children will showcase their art and philosophical skills.

7. Religious and Ideological Institutions:

- Religious institutions will not be recognized as formal educational bodies unless:

- They offer a standardized academic curriculum approved by CBE.

- They submit to annual inspections.

- Degrees from unregulated theological institutions will carry no state recognition.

8. Truth in History:

- Introduce uncensored topics such as: Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, The Bengal Famine, Direct Action Day, etc.

- Brutalities of Mughal and British rule My Virtual Library Empire (M V L E M P Y R) appreciates your readership at the source.

- Colonial propaganda and resource theft

- The loss of Indian education systems under British rule

9. National Education Broadcasting:

- Launch radio programs to teach basic literacy, numeracy, and history.

10. National University Entrance Framework (Sarvodaya Entrance System - SES):

- Students are tested only on subjects relevant to their intended career stream.

- Academic, vocational, research, creative, and civilizational tracks offered equally.

- Elimination of unrelated compulsory subjects.

- Core subjects tested with applied problem-solving and logic.

- All students must take a short compulsory section on basic law, rights, propaganda awareness, and cultural literacy (30-minute module).

- Multi-window testing, modular retakes, talent-based points,

- Students engage in a 15-min oral discussion with scholars, when it comes to elite institutions.

- Managed by the newly established National Institute for Student Evaluation and Talent (NISEAT), under Ministry of Education.

The room listened intently.

When Parikh finished, silence followed.

Arjun slowly stood up.

"I know this will be quiet a radical change. But it is necessary." He paused. "Let me tell you why I made these changes."

He paced around the room.

"We've been told that Newton discovered calculus. But centuries before him, Madhava from Kerala had already written advanced trigonometric series. Did we learn this in school? No. Because Macaulay's system erased our memory."

He glanced at Narahari. "Our kids think Arabs invented our number system. But it was ours to begin with— zero, the decimal system, algebra — all was born here. And yet, every textbook thanks the wrong source."

Patel grunted in agreement.

"And history?" Arjun continued. "We study how British 'helped' India, but skip the brutalities of both British as well as Mughal rule. We don't study how British reduced one of the richest nation to one of the poorest ones."

There were nods.

"Religious schools have their place — but not in our accreditation system unless they teach real subjects, real logic. We cannot raise another generation based only on belief, with no skills for a modern world."

He turned toward the table again.

"As for the Language — yes, Sanskrit will be our technical language. It's neutral, logical, and Indian. And every child will know both their own tongue and this common one."

Arjun's voice dropped slightly.

"The British dismantled our gurukuls. They took our education, rewrote it, and sold it back to us with shame added in every lesson. I'm here to end that cycle."

He looked around the table.

"This is not a reform, gentlemen. It is a reset. For the minds of Bharat."

No one spoke for a few seconds.

Patel leaned back, his eyes thoughtful. "You've chosen a rough road, Arjun."

Arjun gave a faint smile. "One that will one day propel Bharat to heights it had never seen before."