Saturday, April 9, 2016

TRAVELLING AS A PART OF EDUCATION

           Man is essentially a nomad in his life. His desire for travelling is perennial. The next horizon always invites him and he yields to the call of the Distant. Next and next station is his goal. Modern man’s desire for travelling is an inheritance from his forefathers who led nomadic lives in the primitive age. Everyman, mentally, is a ‘Sindbad the Sailor’ who warns to go out to meet the Indefinite at every chance.
           Travelling satisfies man’s craving for meeting the unseen and knowing the unknown. It instructs and educates the man who undertakes travelling. Modern concept of education has come to lay, therefore, much stress on travelling.
Lesson on history and geography become practical, attractive and wholesome through travelling. The monuments and historical relics, when visited by the modern man, take him back to the very ages when those were built and then came to be dilapidated. Again, a visit to an unknown land lay, before us the topographical details of the land, The food habits, the clothes, the social culture and the religious legacy of the inhabitants of that land and its climatic peculiarities become to the traveller vivid, direct and- apparent.
           Travelling has so many beneficial contributions to our education. First of all, it serves the highest purpose of education as it broadens our outlook and instills understanding in our heart. It drives away one’s superstition, selfishness and shyness. By coming in close contact with the peoples of diverse religions and cultures a traveller gradually develops an aptitude that makes him a member of the greater world community, and thus, he becomes a true cosmopolitan. The hardships of travelling and its experiences make a man painstaking6, patient arid learned.

           Ours is a very poor country while educational travelling is an expensive undertaking. So, such tours should be conducted wisely and systematically with the governmental help. Our schools and colleges must send out their students at least once in a year in a package tour.

MODERNISM

           The word ‘modernism’ comes from the L.L. ‘modernus’‘modo’ meaning ‘just now’, The term ‘just now’ does not denote’ any specific time: it connotes 'relating to any period of time.’ Hence. ‘modernism’ means with any period of time referred to.’ It is virtually a concept. The word Modernism may relate to any time or age. It actually means advancement of ideas and thoughts manifested through any norm or form of contemporary Life. It does not mean going ahead of time, it is always ‘within the time’ judged in the perspective of that time.
           Modernism refers of values - ethical and aesthetical, social and economical. The so-called moderns in the history of man could not leave any perennial legacy for the posterity. They simply brought in a transitory agitation in their contemporary ages. Modernism in culture always tends to accelerate the pace of the society. It takes its followers in the fore-front Modern men are the elite of the society and they are midways the leaders in a fraternity.


           Modernism has its inherent hazards too. Many in a society may not like it or may not be able to live up to the modern norms. A conflict may crop up in between the die-hards and the moderns. Even then, modernism is welcome because it lends speed to a life-style.