26 Yogic Science and Vedic Yoga I THERE is a larger perspective in the context of which the theme of Yoga stands out as a subject of great contemporary relevance. That larger perspective is that of the acute crisis through which humankind is passing today. This crisis has arisen, it seems, from the fact that/ while on the one hand, it does not seem unlikely that we may succeed in creating a system of life, practically covering the whole globe, which can provide to human beings means and materials to satisfy hedonistic, selfish and egoistic wants on such a scale that, for quite a long indefinite period, humankind might remain chained to circles of

IX ANNEXURE V LIST OF CHAIRPERSONS 1.PROFESSOR D. P. CHATTOPADHYAYA, Chairman, Centre for Studies in Civilization 2.SHRI D.K. MANAVALAN, Former, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment 3.PROFESSOR RC. PRADHAN, Member-Secretary, ICPR 4.SHRI K.S. SHARMA, Additional Secretary, Department of Education, Ministry of HRD 5.DR. HARIGAUTAM, Chairman, University Grants Commission 6.PROFESSOR R.M. KALRA, Honorary Adviser, National Seminar on Value-Oriented Education, and Visiting Professor, USA & Canada 7.SHRI M.M. LUTHER, Author and Expert in Managment and Values 8.P

IV LITERATURE AND VALUE-ORIENTED EDUCATION SOME TALKING POINTS INDRA NATH CHOUDHURY 1.The industrialized society and the present day crisis in Values. 2.Values are relative and subjective and individuals should be left to themselves to determine their own value-system. 3.Educational institutions should confine themselve only to those studies where objective knowledge is discernible or determinable. 4.Self-centered liberalism leading to anti-judgment phobia. 5.Democracy cannot survive without an extra-political normative moral order and also by going beyond the material utility of life. 6.Val

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Joan of Arc Introduction Joan of Arc! Her story is so incredible that it looks like a fairy tale. And maybe this is what they think it must be, those who only vaguely know about her. But she is real. She did exist. She did become at seventeen—seventeen!—the commander of the royal army of France, at a time in the Middle Ages when women were strictly confined to domestic chores. Indeed, difficult to believe. How could it happen? And, further, how could this totally inexperienced girl conduct herself creditably as the head of the army, to the extent of being accepted as their leader by tough, battle-tested veterans? In less than one year, despite avoidab

Acknowledgements This monograph is part of a series on Value-oriented Education centered on three values: Illumination, Heroism and Harmony. The research, preparation and publication of the monographs that form part of this series are the result of the cooperation of the following members of the research team of the Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational Research, Auroville: Abha, Alain, Anne, Ashatit, Auralee, Bhavana, Christine, Claude, Deepti, Don, Frederick, Ganga, Jay Singh, Jean-Yves, Jossi, Jyoti Madhok, Kireet Joshi, Krishna, Lala, Lola, Mala, Martin, Mirajyoti, Namrita, Olivier, Pala, Pierre, Serge, Shailaja, Shankaran, Sharanam, Soham, Suzie, V

Joan of Arc Extracts from Joan of Arc by Marc Twain Well, anything to make delay. The King's council advised him against arriving at a decision in our matter too precipitately. He arrives at a decision too precipitately! So they sent a committee of priests—always priests—into Lorraine to inquire into Joan's character and history— a matter which would consume several weeks, of course. You see how fastidious they were. It was as if people should come to put out the fire when a man's house was burning down, and they waited till they could send into another country to find out if he had always kept the Sabbath or not, before letting him try. So the days poked along, drea

Illumination, Heroism and Harmony Preface The task of preparing teaching-learning material for value-oriented education is enormous. There is, first, the idea that value-oriented education should be exploratory rather than prescriptive, and that the teaching- learning material should provide to the learners a growing experience of exploration. Secondly, it is rightly contended that the proper inspiration to turn to value-orientation is provided by biographies, auto- biographical accounts, personal anecdotes, epistles, short poems, stories of humour, stories of human interest, brief passages filled with pregnant meanings, reflective short essays written in well-chisell

2. On the National Agenda for Education The National Agenda for Education makes an appeal not to forget the essentials. For the burden of reforms that are being put forward by the Agenda could be so great as to make us oblivious of the essentials. We need to stress that to place the child and the youth in the centre of nation's attention is the most important message of the Agenda. It has been stressed with the greatest possible emphasis that the country must declare the sovereignty of the child and the youth. At a deeper level, however, we need to remind ourselves of the most instructive parable of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, where the trainin

3. Objectives of Education and Promotion of Excellence I Pursuit of excellence depends on three factors. First of all, it depends upon the cultivation of will among all to work on their own limitations and to surpass them; secondly, it depends upon progressive understanding of the principles underlying the process of self-exceeding; and thirdly, it depends upon clearer perception and commitment to the higher goals of individual and collective welfare. And, if we look at the educational history of thought and practice, we shall find that glorious periods of education have been marked by the participation of people in