Imagine, for a moment, a room with a person in it. The person is perfectly healthy and the room, perfectly habitable. But, there’s a catch. The entire room, and everything in it, is either black or white. The food that she eats, the books she reads, the furniture- everything. And there’s another catch- this person is a colour expert. She has read everything there is to know about colour- Its physics, the way it interacts with human and animal physiology, and even poetry! But she has never seen colour in her whole life.

The question that we get to ask after imagining all that, is: The first time that she saw colour, did she learn anything new? Or is there something about tangible human experiences that cannot be expressed with the written word?

In a world that is increasingly digital, virtual and distance oriented, a sizeable segment of the populace is becoming a vocal critic of the schooling system. And this is not reserved purely for the anti-higher education protests in America or the anti-science movement, but also extends to the Indian schooling system.

But is being a cynic the way forward? Is non-constructive criticism the way towards growth? Or should we re-evaluate? In the present day, India is at a crossroads. We are amongst the youngest nations in the world, but while this upcoming generation may be well versed with technology and be forward-thinking, it cannot critically analyze and hold abstractions. The only way that we can transform India’s enormous manpower into a resource (rather than the burden it is presently on track to become) is by the power of education. A holistic education. An education that allows for comprehensive, all-around growth. An education that imparts not just factual knowledge, but also turns Homo sapiens into human beings.

The kind of education that can only be imparted through tangible human contact and shared experience.

It is education alone that can mould young minds into instruments of precision. It is education alone that can make or break a society. It is education alone that allows us to shape our destiny. So let us harness this might that education possesses.

Let us allow it to guide us towards the light.

Let us make our futures bright!