Coup On Agriculture – Village Life And City Style – 3 [an elder child education]

In the villages, the life of farmers was full of occasions and festivals. From childhood, the farmer’s children could learn the agriculture. In their student hood, their education was ‘Pedda Bala Sikshaw’ i.e. ‘an elder child education.’ In that, they used to learn how to write, how to read, how to account the things, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division etc. mathematical operations, average, ratio, or interest etc. calculations, the surrounding science, science of time i.e. Panchangam basis of Natural science & Biological science and certain extent of astronomy and astrology.

They used to learn how to read and under stand stories, and issues. They used to learn how to read and under stand people, neighbors, people, society and kings or rulers administration. That’s enough. Their primary education was completed. After that they used to start some professional education. Naturally, it was their ancestral profession such as profession of their cast. They used to adopt the parents profession such as farmer’s son took agriculture, potter’s son took pot making and carpenter’s son took wood work etc. in fact this was the gradual evolution of profession, possessing by birth of the person i.e. caste, from the situation of profession, possessing by the virtue or character of the person.

The present generation i.e. of 25 to35 years aged of poor farmers, farmer coolies and other poor professionals are like deceived people by both modern and traditional education. Most of the poor farmer coolies and other professionals like fruit venders etc do not know the minimum calculations and multiplications in their trading. This was result of removal of education of ‘Peda Bala Sikshaw’ from their lives, as well Govt. primary education didn’t substitute the place of ‘Peda Bala Sikshaw’ before 30 to 40 years in past.

Up to 5 years, the kids learn some oral education as devotional poems, rhymes, stories, actions, little arts of folks etc. from the grandparents, parents etc elders. They won’t touch pen pencil etc. up to the occasion of “Akshara byasam”, that means begging of practice to write letters. So up to 5 years age, they used to enjoy freedom, protection & affection of elders. Then, the kids start their primary education i.e. elder child education ‘Peda Bala Sikshaw’, at the age of 5+ years.

Depends up on the intellectuality, merit or learning capacity of the child, they could complete it within 2 to 3 years, rarely within 5 years. Then their education turns in to epics section; and morals section. They used to under stand the epic stories, philosophy of epics, morals of epics and some important slokams and poem along with Neethi sathakams i.e. moral poems. They used to by hard some poems, idioms etc. This used to make the child to form his personality, wisdom, behavior style and attitude.

By completing this, the children acquire the age of 10 years around. Then depends up on their interest, talent and the capacity and willingness of parents, they used to send higher or special education. If the child had music interest, and if he was supported by parents, he could search for relevant teacher to learn music. By approaching certain music teachers, the child had to pay his service as disciple to learn music from him after completion of education he had to satisfy the teachers with Guru Dakshina i.e. gift to teacher. Same case with literature, logic, mathematics, astrology, painting, sculpture etc, every art. Same case with business and other services like medicine[Ayurvedic] etc.

If the child was not interested on any one like above or if the circumstances could not allow him to learn, then they used to start to learn their ancestral profession. They used to learn from their parents and fore parents. But the pity was these opportunities were not available to girls in most cases. Some girls could learn primary education and then all the girls used to practice the house administration or house management or house execution. By eliminating all the negative or bad methods and by modifying them up to our circumstances, if we design our children’s education, how nice it will be in the life?

When a farmers’ child completed his primary education, their metarnary uncle used to give new cloths to him as Dhoti. There starts their farmer’s life festival. The first day when they start to handle the plough, there could be small pooja by the child to the agricultural tools and he used to take the blessings of elders. Same case with a girl when she starts to handle the churning stick.

There was a wish of flourishing crops and milk Products behind these festivals. There started the bondage of bullocks and the farmer younger boys. There was a religious, cultural, or traditional touch to devote all the tools, animals which were useful in their profession. On every Vijay Dasami, Ganapathi Chaturdhi, Kanuma of Sankranthi, Nagula Chavithi and Nagula Panchami the villagers used to devote their agricultural equipments, bullocks, cows etc. all animals and including snakes, which help them by killing rats, the destroyers of crops.

In fact, all Indians i.e. Hindus have this tradition to treat all of their equipments & tools as weapons and devote them, as well as trees, plants and animals. And this was criticized, ridiculed and made mockery on it until all the people feel inferior and shame to practice such tradition by spying. The media and other so-called intellectuals like Ranga Nayakamma etc. talented professionals i.e. writers and others and some spying agents had played this strategy successfully. One happy thing is now, the youth is feeling proud to practice these ancestral traditions and treating them as our in heritage assets.