Homo Sapiens to Homo Spiritualis

Recently, we were tasked with putting together Dayalbagh Educational Institute's (DEI) vision and next 15 years plan in a book form. Over the next many posts, we plan to post extracts from this book, with this one from the ‘Vision and Mission’ Chapter. Let us all join our minds and hands together in this journey of finding and elevating our soul, a journey from Homo sapiens to Homo spiritualis.

Happy reading.

Anurag

“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’

But I dream things that never were;

and I say, ‘Why not?’”

–George Bernard Shaw

Central Administrative Office Dayalbagh Educational Institute

The Dayalbagh Educational Institute’s Vision is ambitious, clearly defined and backed by over a hundred years of experience of imparting quality education. The Vision reflects DEI’s commitment to impart pragmatism together with self-realization. The DEI Education Policy, articulated in 1975, laid down the following foundational concepts:

• physical, intellectual, emotional and ethical integration of an individual to help evolve the complete man with values of humanism, secularism and democracy, to better equip him to solve social, economic and environmental challenges.
• truthfulness, temperance and courage
• ideals of humility, simple living, selfless service and sacrifice
• habit of learning by developing the faculties of thinking, analysis and reason
• general awareness and knowledge
• best in class-relevant education
• scientific temper
• respect for ‘soiled hands’, dignity of labour, and, self-reliance
• study of the classics, and pride in national culture and heritage
• shaping each student for a calling suited to his aptitude, skills and the needs of society
• understanding of various beliefs and faiths, which fosters an attitude of tolerance and national unity
• engendering the spirit of ‘Brotherhood of Man’, and promoting the establishment of a classless and caste-less society
• fuller understanding of rural life, to appreciate the polity, economy and the social forces at work in our country
• democratic values and freedoms which an Indian citizen should be prepared to defend
• respect for the rights of others and an awareness of duties and obligations to society
• strong character and high ethical standards.

Starting the day with a prayer

This policy was submitted to the University Grants Commission in 1977 for grant of deemed-to-be University status. The UGC team visited the colleges and facilities in the colony of Dayalbagh to assess the potential for achieving excellence with relevance. The Committee’s observations and recommendations endorsed and supported the Policy and its implementation.

Observations and Recommendations of UGC Visiting Team on DEI in 1977

• At DEI, teaching institutions, industrial-technical workshops, agricultural farms are together engaged in teaching, training, production and extension.
• Including school children, a community of students, teachers and workers belonging to all castes, creeds, communities and various parts of the country are involved in a variety of programmes for integrated community development.
• The complex provides a healthy environment for educational innovation and national integration.
• The DEI is engaged in providing a good academic programme in agricultural-rural-industrial complex, oriented to specific conditions and needs and providing suitable social service, work experience, national integration and vocational training programmes aligning with academic curricula.
• The DEI is tethered to the principle of excellence but not at the cost of relevance; which inculcates the dignity of manual labour, encourages initiative and creative work; has an interdisciplinary approach to build an integrated personality of a well-adjusted man.
• The DEI is a departure from the existing pattern of University education.
• The then Agra University expressed its inability to accord autonomy to DEI as the DEI experiment envisaged the fullest integration, collaboration and cooperation of all the faculties.
• To enable DEI to develop independently as per its own genius, the DEI should acquire a separate identity with the status of a deemed-to-be-university by which the university system in the country will be enriched.
• DEI, with its courses, is able to give a greater emphasis on preparing students for self-reliance and self-employment and thus fulfill its objective more effectively.
• DEI educational programmes address the contemporary needs by applying the most relevant principles of educational process like work-experience, learn by themselves, continuous assessment system, objective methods of assessment, integrated-interdisciplinary and inter-faculty teaching, accent on experimental teaching, production of effective teaching and learning materials and appropriate orientation of teachers.

Vision Statement

To provide linkages to all stakeholders’ potential ‘Values and Quality’ to the kinetic permanent state in a dynamically-oriented and refreshed equilibrium through integrated hierarchical system of education enabled by economic and flexible (jugaad) innovation technology founded firmly on DEI’s Education Policy.

DEI, a leading Entrepreneurship and Consciousness, Teaching-cum-Research Institute, is a model University, measured by its ‘excellence, but not at the cost of social relevance’ reaching up to the last, the least, the lowest and the lost; pursuing research and discovery with frugal innovations contributing with principle of achieving more with less for nation and community-building and beneficial to public at large with cultural reforms enriching and empowering weaker sections, women and children.

In the year 2004, DEI defined its VISION 2011. This policy heralded many features that have later been incorporated in the Nation’s education policy and programs. DEI has been a visionary and forerunner in adopting innovative schemes in the field of education.

The DEI Education Policy – 1975, foresaw many elements of the National Policy on Education – 1986. Similarly, the vocational education programmes of DEI started in 2004, foresaw many elements of the AICTE NVEQF and MHRD Community Colleges schemes launched almost a decade later and is an effort to effectively implement the following national missions for the Socio-Economic Development of the Country:

• The National Mission of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan – Universal Elementary Education under the Right to Education Act
• Make in India
• Skilling India
• Digital India
• Clean India (Swachh Bharat Abhiyan)
• Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan
• Green India

developing respect for ‘soiled hands’, dignity of labour, and, self-reliance

Vision 2031

The Dayalbagh Educational Institute has embarked upon a bold initiative, VISION 2031, and formulated a comprehensive and progressive Strategic Plan for 2012-2031, with the goal to become a top teaching-cum-research Institute through an exemplary system of education. To establish Total Quality Management across all activities of the University, the Plan encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate education, research, infrastructure, information and communication technology and campus development.

The Institute has accepted this challenge and is confident of achieving success with the cooperation of faculty, staff, students, alumni and other interested partners.

Mission Objective

Development of super-intelligent (super-conscious) humans who are self-governed and render selfless service in a rapidly-changing global scenario.

Education in Dayalbagh provides the linkages for this kinetic state in dynamic equilibrium. The linkages have to be  provided at all levels of hierarchy, right from pre-nursery to higher education, through an integrated education system. With technology intervention, this can be extended to the global level. The DEI Education Policy also offers a minimal-input to maximum-output approach through an economic, frugal (jugaad) and flexible model.

The DEI Education model is based on an experiential system rooted in Eastern spirituality and wisdom on the one hand, and modern scientific concepts and Western materialism on the other. While modern science provides solutions to mysteries of the physical world, Saints of the East had knowledge of the highest spiritual regions and consciousness, evolving to better worldliness.

At DEI, teaching institutions, industries and agricultural farms provide the three-dimensional activities for teaching-learning, production, and extension. The social service, work experience, educational innovation, cultural moorings, national integration and vocational training programmes are aligned with academic curricula. A teaching-learning community, including student and staff from pre-nursery to higher education from all castes, creeds, communities, and regions, works toward integrated community development.

Students at DEI

Major goals

DEI has identified the following major goals:

• Strengthen Entrepreneurial Education giving access to all applicants, even those without means
• Integrate agricultural farming and dairy education with Entrepreneurial and Consciousness Studies
• Emerge as an Entrepreneurial and Consciousness University.

A Unique Entrepreneurial University

The emergent model of education allows our students to self-support their education, making them job-creators, rather than job-seekers. Student entrepreneurship provides a platform for students to develop and market a variety of products and services, and capable of starting micro-enterprises, an earn-while-you-learn opportunity with vocational training at low cost.

The entrepreneurship model advocated is unique: the DEI model advocates a frugal, flexible (jugaad) approach to problem-solving rather than seeking funds from venture capitalists, and tries to do ‘more, with less’. We encourage jugaad and frugal innovation: the concept of jugaad does not imply sub-optimal but rather, the creation of a product that is flexible in its usage and has been economically innovated using locally-available materials, manpower and resources. Such products are affordable and cater to local market needs. DEI’s model of entrepreneurship tethers the student-entrepreneur to the rural economy, and also with national and international markets.

Integration of the Green and White Revolutions

Experiential knowledge gained in Dayalbagh’s practice of agriculture and dairy farming has been mainstreamed into education at DEI with the aim of creating the willingness and capacity to work with one’s own hands, promoting a respect for ‘soiled hands’, dignity of labour and a spirit of self-reliance.

Practical knowledge is gained by students where they are involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of dairy and agricultural produce. The results have been highly encouraging and need to be replicated across the country and around the globe. Participation creates platform for research and labs on land, enabling creation of Intellectual Property by entrepreneurs and researchers.

A major by-product will be a library of successful ideas about agriculture, dairy and entrepreneurship in nano-enterprises in remote and distant villages. This combination of the second white and green revolution in over 400 villages will prove to be a game changer for women and children.

Through technology intervention the benefit of such unique education will be made available to one and all at any time, place and pace around the globe.

Students getting hands-on experience in Dayalbagh Dairy

Excellence in Consciousness Studies

DEI proposes a new science of consciousness scientifically and experimentally, substantiating the existence of higher orders of consciousness through the SQUID (Super-conducting Quantum Interference Device) facility in its own Centre for Consciousness Studies. Our approach as an institute of excellence in consciousness studies is to integrate science and religion by applying the principles and rigour of science and scientific method to religion.

The Institute desires to see its students contribute to one or both of these areas, since a better understanding of either implies an improved ability to contribute to the development of society. Therefore, the education system, with its emphasis on values, is complemented by the inter-, trans- and multi-disciplinary academic curriculum. The Education Policy is based on the systems approach, through a study of science, mathematics, engineering, social sciences, fine arts, etc.

“He will not come into existence in a day; he will

evolve gradually as the human body evolved

gradually according to the Darwinian principle.

As is the case of the body, the mind and spirit will

also evolve gradually, and when the spirit and mind

achieve high purity, a Superman will come into

existence. Such a Superman, through the principle

of administration of inner self, will enjoy inner peace

and harmony and strive continuously to spread

the message of, Fatherhood of God and

Brotherhood of Man”.
–Revered Prof. Prem Saran Satsangi

The DEI mission objective is to transform Homo sapiens into Homo spiritualis: a complete man with balanced development of body, mind and spirit.

Participants of the Sant-Su(perman) scheme with their parents