Awakening can probably be labelled as the last lap of a marathon on education, which we started more than 12 years ago in the Ramakrishna Mission, Delhi. The journey literally began nearly 125 years ago when Swami Vivekananda undertook a Bharat Parikrama on foot from 1886 to 1892. He was appalled by the poverty and illiteracy which had descended on our motherland, which, until a few centuries before, had been hailed as one of the most prosperous nations. During his journey all over the country, he mingled freely with the masses and could feel the heart-throb of the nation. He said that education was the panacea for all the ills of our nation. He also gave a new path-breaking definition of education, ‘Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man’, meaning that all power, glory and knowledge are inherent in students. This idea totally changes the dynamics of education. It reverses the traditional idea of education as a flow from the teacher to the taught and points out that education is the unearthing or bringing out of the possibilities inherent in every child.

The Ramakrishna Mission established by Swami Vivekananda has been working extensively in the field of education for more than a hundred years. A new dimension was added to this work by the Delhi centre of the Mission when it initiated a small program titled ‘Success formula’ in the schools of Delhi. This program was a huge success, and it enabled the students to get a glimpse of their inherent strengths. This led to a clamour for a program of longer duration. In response, a 3-year graded value education program titled, ‘The Awakened Citizen Program’ was launched in 2014. This was developed by our knowledge partner M/s Illumine Knowledge Resources Pvt. Ltd. This is a 48-module program (16 modules in each year) for middle-school students (Classes 6 to 9). The program attempts to give a new foundation to education. It helps children comprehend what it means to get educated, gives them a powerful new identity and creates awareness in them about the infinite possibilities lying untapped within them, waiting to be awakened.

Today, this program has reached more than 5,500 schools from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and has influenced more than 10 lakh children. The tremendous appeal and success of the program resulted in a majority of the stakeholders demanding a similar program for primary school children. This gave birth to ‘Awakening’, a 5-year program for primary school children (Classes 1 to 5). This is a feeder program for the Awakened Citizen Program, since it is also built on the same set of values, that forms the foundation of ACP. For primary school, age-appropriate stories are used as the main tool. These are supported by activities that reinforce the values, both at school and at home. Thus, when children listen to the stories, participate vigourously in the discussions, and then carry out activities both at school and at home, these life- transforming values get permanently embedded in their hearts. Young children learn to understand the consequences of their actions and understand why and how they can choose what is best for them and for society.

Our earnest prayers to Swami Vivekananda, who said, ‘She is awakening, this motherland of ours, from her deep long sleep. None can desist her any more; never is she going to sleep any more; no outward powers can hold her back any more; for the infinite giant is rising to her feet.’ May we awaken ourselves and the latent giant in every little child, so that our future citizens are courageous, conscious, harmonious and free. This will ensure that the India of the future is even more glorious than the India of the past.

Swami Shantatmananda

Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission, Delhi