Go India Take Education

Indian Education is matter of prime concern for the government of India. The University Grants Commission (UGC) coordinates, determines and maintains the standards of education at various levels. There are many professional bodies, which are responsible for accreditations of the courses, as well as providing grants to the different undergraduate courses.

India, with its diversity fascinates one and all. Indian Education has recently gained world recognition. Many students from foreign countries are eyeing the country for gaining higher qualifications. Though, illiteracy is a problem in India, the country amazes outsiders with its vast pool of talent.

The Indian economy has grown in leaps and bounds in the recent years and hence there is a necessity to educate the masses to accelerate the growth process. It is interesting to note how the Indian education machinery works. 

Title Professional Councils in India are:

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR)

Distance Education Council (DEC)

National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)

Bar Council of India (BCI)

Medical Council of India (MCI)

Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)

Indian Nursing Council (INC)

Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH)

Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)

Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)

Dentist Council of India (DCI)

Education System of India

Till the recent past it was believed that premier education is not available in India, but the current development in the educational sector has led to the belief that quality education is indeed available in India. Research done in the past has highlighted loopholes in the curriculum and methodologies but these criticisms had acted upon and amendments were made. These included changes in the syllabus, introduction of new courses and dynamic methodologies. Modern infrastructures and teachers with adequate training are facilitating cutting-edge delivery of content; connected E-learning (called C- learning) is in vogue and today, India is attracting students from South Africa, China, Canada, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, UK and USA. 

This unbelievable progress in the educational scenario also includes low costs of tuitions as compared to the western countries. The basic divisions in the academics include primary, secondary, senior secondary and higher education. Elementary education is till standard 8 while secondary and higher secondary education consists two years each. Graduation is between three to five years depending on the course after which there is an option for post-graduation (a two-year course) and research. 

Today education system in India can be divided into many stages.

Pre- Primary - It consists of children of 3-5 years of age studying in nursery, lower kindergarten and upper kindergarten. At this stage student is given knowledge about school life and is taught to read and write some basic words.

Primary - It includes the age group of children of 6-11 years studying in classes from first to fifth.

Middle - It consists of children studying in classes from sixth to eighth.

Secondary - it includes students studying in classes ninth and tenth.

Higher Secondary - Includes students studying in eleventh and twelfth classes.

Undergraduate - Here, a student goes through higher education, which is completed in college. This course may vary according to the subject pursued by the student. For medical student this stage is of four and a half years plus one year of compulsory internship, while a simple graduate degree can be attained in three years.

Postgraduate - After completing graduation a student may opt for post graduation to further add to his qualifications.

Education Governing Bodies

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE): This is the main governing body of education system in India. It has control over the central education system. It conducts exam and looks after the functioning of schools accredited to central education system.

The Council of Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE): It is a board for Anglo Indian Studies in India. It conducts two examinations 'Indian Certificate of Secondary Education' and 'Indian School Certificate'. Indian Certificate of secondary education is a k-10 examination for those Indian students who have just completed class 10th and Indian school certificate is a k-12 public examination conducted for those studying in class 12th.

The State Government Boards: Apart from CBSE and CISCE each state in India has its own State Board of education, which looks after the educational issues.

The National Open School: It is also known as National Institute of Open Schooling. It was established by the Government Of India in 1989. It is a ray of hope for those students who cannot attend formal schools.

The International School: It controls the schools, which are accredited to curriculum of international standard.

Present Scenario of Education System

The present educational system of India is an implantation of British rulers. Wood's Dispatch of 1854 laid the foundation of present system of education in India. Before the advent of British in India, education system was private one. With the introduction of Wood's Dispatch known as Magna Carta of Indian education, the whole scenario changed. The main purpose of it was to prepare Indian Clerks for running local administration. Under it the means of school educations were the vernacular languages while the higher education was granted in English only. British government started giving funds to indigenous schools in need of help and thus slowly some of the schools became government-aided. Contemplating on the new system which was introduced Mahatma Gandhi expressed his anguish in following words, "I say without fear of my figures being challenged successfully, that today India is more illiterate than it was fifty or a hundred years ago, and so is Burma, because the British administrators, when they came to India, instead of taking hold of things as they were, began to root them out. They scratched the soil and began to look at the root, and left the root like that, and the beautiful tree perished. The village schools were not good enough for the British administrator, so he came out with his program. Every school must have so much paraphernalia, building, and so forth. Well, there were no such schools at all. There are statistics left by a British administrator which show that, in places where they have carried out a survey, ancient schools have gone by the board, because there was no recognition for these schools, and the schools established after the European pattern were too expensive for the people, and therefore they could not possibly overtake the thing. I defy anybody to fulfill a program of compulsory primary education of these masses inside of a century. This very poor country of mine is ill able to sustain such an expensive method of education. Our state would revive the old village schoolmaster and dot every village with a school both for boys and girls. " 

The recent initiatives of the government include the following

An Information Technology teacher should be appointed in every school.

The ICSE and CBSE curriculums have gained eminence.

Unit tests from Class 1 till Class 8 has been done away with in Maharashtra.

Foreign universities are being given green signals to open campus in India. These universities are also collaborating with Indian institutions to disperse combines curriculums.

Historical Background of Indian Education

Traditional Indian education boasts of the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ayurveda, the Arthasashtra, and many more and is a marvel of the Indian intellect. In the system of Gurukula (ancient Indian system of dispersing knowledge) the adolescent boys stayed in the house of the teacher (guru) to gain knowledge over a stipulated time-period. The Brahmacharya (celibacy) state was observed till a certain age while women and lower caste people had no access to education in the Middle Ages. The reform movement spread by the Sufi, Bhakti, Jain and Buddhist religions reduced the pain of the oppressed segments of the society and educational reforms gained eminence in the nineteenth century. 

After independence, education for all was the mission of the government. The unhealthy practice of discriminations was removed by the 86th Constitutional Amendments and education has been made compulsory for the age group 6 to 14. The significant gap between the rate of urban and rural literacy is being bridged and the UGC was set up in the year 1953 to regulate the processes of educational development in the country. 

Currently, there are 17000 plus colleges, around 20 universities (central), 217 universities (state), and many deemed universities as well as national institutions. The national institutions of international fame are the IIT's and the IIM's. The Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad holds a global rank of 15 in the field of management education. 

However, the efforts of upgrading the standards of Indian Education are not meeting with success, due to hurdles in accessibility, poverty and other factors. Due to widespread poverty the government of India is not able to achieve higher success in the implemented projects. The 11th 5- year plan alleviates the importance of development in the education sector and primary education as well as higher education is given equal importance in this plan.

Professional Colleges in India

Engineering Colleges in India

IIT Delhi

IIT Guwahati

IIT Hyderabad

IIT Kanpur

IIT Kharagpur

IIT Madras

IIT Mumbai

IIT Rajasthan

IIT Roorkee.

Posted by Editorial Team on 03:21 in accompany, Amitabh Bachchan, Anurag Kashyap, Audio, Australia, between, bhojpuri, Bollywood, Brahman, buildings, Education, hence, process, recently

Vastu Shastra

Terminology

The Sanskrit word vastu means a dwelling or house with a corresponding plot of land. The vrddhi, vastu, takes the meaning of "the site or foundation of a house, site, ground, building or dwelling-place, habitation, homestead, house".

The underlying root is vas "to dwell, live, stay, abide". The term shastra may loosely be translated as "science, doctrine, teaching". Besides, some say that Vastu was one of the greatest architect and town planning expert ever produced by India who lived 2000 years ago.

The king would send him for planning and establishing a town. This concept of Vastu is not highlighted anywhere.

Fundamental concepts

There are many principles in Vaastu Shastra. To mention a few which involve certain mathematical calculations, Maana is used for proportional relationships in a building and Aayaadi specifies conditions for maximum well being and benefits for the residents of a building. Below are some of the basic theories in vaastu sastra.

Five elements

According to vastu sastra, the world comprises five basic elements known as the pancha maha bhoota. Out of the eight planets, ours has life because of the presence and balance of these five elements. The five elements are as follows.

EARTH (Bhumi) - Earth, the third planet in order from the sun, is a big magnet with North and South poles as centers of attractions. Its magnetic field and gravitational force has considerable effects on everything on the Earth, living and non-living.

WATER (Jala) - This is represented by rain, river, sea and is in the form of liquid, solid (ice) and gas (steam, cloud). It forms part of every plant and animal. Our blood is mostly water.

AIR (Vayu) - As a life supporting element, air is a very powerful life source. Human physical comfort values are directly and sensitively dependent on correct humidity, air flow, temperature of air, air pressure, air composition and its content.

FIRE (Agni) - Represents light and heat which account for day, night, the seasons, energy, enthusiasm, passion and vigour.

SPACE (Akasha) - The Akasha provides shelter to all the above elements. It is also considered the primary conductor of all energy sources within the universal context – physical energies such as sound and light, social energies such as psychological and emotional, and cognitive energies such as intellect and intuition.

There is an invisible and constant relation between all the five elements. Thus, the person can improve their conditions by properly designing their buildings by understanding the effectiveness of these five natural forces.

Vaastu Sastra combines all the five elements of nature and balances them with the person and the material. It takes advantage of the benefits bestowed by the five elements of nature to create a congenial living and working environment thereby facilitating spiritual well-being and paving the way for enhanced health, wealth, prosperity and happiness.

In Indian architecture, the dwelling is itself a shrine. A home is called Manushyalaya, literally, "Human Temple". It is not merely a shelter for human beings in which to rest and eat. The concept behind house design is the same as for temple design, so sacred and spiritual are the two spaces.

The "open courtyard" system of house design was the national pattern in India before Western models were introduced. The order introduced into the "built space" accounts for the creation of spiritual ambiance required for the indweller to enjoy spiritual well-being and material welfare and prosperity.

At right is a typical layout of a square building, with a grid of 9x9=81 squares, meant for family persons (for scientists, artists and yogi a grid of 8x8=64 is prescribed). The space occupied by the central 3x3=9 squares is called Brahmasthanam, meaning the "nuclear energy field". It should be kept unbuilt and open to the sky so as to have contact with the outer space (akasha).

This central courtyard is likened to the lungs of the human body. It is not for living purposes. Religious and cultural events can be held here—such as yajna (fire rituals), music and dance performances and marriage. The row of squares surrounding the Brahmasthanam is the walkway. The corner spaces, occupying 2x2=4 squares, are rooms with specific purposes.

The northeast quarter is called Isanya, the southeast Agni, the southwest Niruthi and northwest Vayu. These are said to possess the qualities of four respective devatas or gods—Isa, Agni, Niruthi and Vayu.

Accordingly—with due respect to ecological friendliness with the subtle forces of the spirit—those spaces (quarters) are assigned as follows: northeast for the home shrine, southeast for the kitchen, southwest for the master bedroom and northwest for the storage of grains.

The spaces lying between the corner zones, measuring 4x6=24 squares (6 on each side), are those of the north, east, south and west. They are meant for multi purposes.

Vastu Purusha Mandala

The Vastu Purusha Mandala is an indispensable part of vastu shastra and constitutes the mathematical and diagrammatic basis for generating design. It is the metaphysical plan of a building that incorporates the coursly bodies and supernatural forces. Purusha refers to energy, power, soul or cosmic man. Mandala is the generic name for any plan or chart which symbolically represents the cosmos.

In Hindu cosmology or in Vedic Cosmology the surface of the earth is represented as a sphere and not as a flat surface, "Cakracasah parinaham prthivya" It says "people who reside on the surface of earth circumference" .

However in context of the earth as a home or resident it is represented as four-cornered in reference to the horizon's relationship with sunrise and sunset, the North and South direction. It is called Chaturbhuji (four cornered) and represented in the form of the Prithvi Mandala.

The astrological charts or horoscopes also represent in a square plan the positions of the sun, moon, planets and zodiac constellations with reference to a specific person's place and time of birth.

The legend of the Vastu Purusha is related thus. Once a formless being blocked the heaven from the earth and Brahma with many other gods trapped him to the ground.

This incident is depicted graphically in the Vastu Purusha Mandala with portions allocated hierarchically to each deity based on their contributions and positions. Brahma occupied the central portion – the Brahmasthana- and other gods were distributed around in a concentric pattern. There are 45 gods in all including 32 outer deities.

• North- Kubera- Ruled by lord of wealth (Finance)
• South- Yama- Ruled by lord of death – Yama (Damaging)
• East- Indra- Ruled by the solar deity- Aditya (Seeing the world)
• West- Varuna- Ruled by lord of water (Physical)
• Northeast {Eshanya} – Ruled by Shiva
• Southeast- Agni- Ruled by the fire deity – Agni (Energy Generating)
• Northwest- Vayu- ruled by the god of winds (Advertisement)
• Southwest- Pitru/Nairutya, Niruthi- Ruled by ancestors (History)
• Center- Brahma- Ruled by the creator of the universe (Desire)

The Vastu Purusha is the presiding deity of any site. Usually he is depicted as lying on it with the head in the northeast and legs in the southwest but he keeps changing position throughout the year.

Vastu shastra prescribes desirable characteristics for sites and buildings based on flow of energy called Vaastu Purusha. The morning sun is considered especially beneficial and purifying however the sun does not play a specific role in the Vaastu shastras.

In fact it is not mentioned in the texts. None of the heavenly bodies are mentioned in the Vaastu Shastras hence they are not considered in the proper application of Vaastu principles.

Energy is primarily considered as emanating from the center of the building. Many people believe that it comes from the North East corner but in fact it comes from the Brahmasthan or center of the building.

It originates from subtle earth energy called Vaastu Purusha and subtle cosmic energy (Unified Field) called Vastu Purusha which meet in the center of the building and then spread outward in all directions.

these two energies unite and form the five elements which then distribute in the for corner zones. (see Fabric of The Universe: The Origins, Implications, and Applications of Vastu Science and Vaastu Technology)

While many people think that "Vaastu energy" is emanating from the North East, that is a misunderstanding. People also attempt to equate the energy of the house with the planets.

That is another misconception. Vaastu energy emanates from the central part of the house (Brahmasthan) and not from the east. (Pranava Veda and Vaastu Shastras).

This energy is a mixture of Vaastu energy, which is subtle energy from the earth, and Vastu energy which is subtle energy from Consciousness itself.  Many assumptions are made about Vaastu Science that are completely untrue.

From these assumptions people have made up ways to "correct vaastu" by selling yantras, crystals etc. for that purpose. This is completely innapropriate as there is nowhere in the Vaastu Shastras that indicates that any of these devices can correct faulty Vaastu.

Mandala types and properties

The central area in all mandala is the Brahmasthana. Mandala "circle-circumference" or "completion", is a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism.

The space occupied by it varies in different mandala – in Pitha (9) and Upapitha (25) it occupies one square module, in Mahaapitha (16), Ugrapitha (36) and Manduka (64), four square modules and in Sthandila (49) and Paramasaayika (81), nine square modules.

The Pitha is an amplified Prithvimandala in which, according to some texts, the central space is occupied by earth. The Sthandila mandala is used in a concentric manner.

The most important mandala are the Paramasaayika Mandala of 81 squares and especially the Manduka/ Chandita Mandala of 64 squares. The normal position of the Vastu Purusha (head in the northeast, legs in the southwest) is as depicted in the Paramasaayika Mandala. However, in the Manduka Mandala the Vastu Purusha is depicted with the head facing east and the feet facing west.

An important aspect of the mandala is that when divided into an odd number of squares, or ayugma, its center is constituted by one module or pada and when divided into an even number of squares or yugma, its center is constituted by a point formed by the intersection of the two perpendicular central lines.

In spatial terms, the former is sakala or manifest/ morphic and the latter is nishkala or unmanifest/ amorphous.

Mandala in siting

The mandala is put to use in site planning and architecture through a process called the Pada Vinyasa. This is a method whereby any site can be divided into grids/ modules or pada. Depending on the position of the gods occupying the various modules, the zoning of the site and disposition of functions in a building are arrived at.

Mandala have certain points known as marma which are vital energy spots on which nothing should be built. They are determined by certain proportional relationships of the squares and the diagonals.

A site of any shape can be divided using the Pada Vinyasa. Sites are known by the number of divisions on each side. the types of mandalas with the corresponding names of sites is given below.

• Sakala (1 square) corresponds to Eka-pada (single divided site)
• Pechaka (4 squares) corresponds to Dwi-pada (two divided site)
• Pitha (9 squares) corresponds to Tri-pada (three divided site)
• Mahaapitha (16 squares) corresponds to Chatush-pada (four divided site)
• Upapitha (25 squares) corresponds to Pancha-pada (five divided site)
• Ugrapitha (36 squares) corresponds to Shashtha-pada (six divided site)
• Sthandila (49 squares) corresponds to sapta-pada (seven divided site)
• Manduka/ Chandita (64 square) corresponds to Ashta-pada (eight divided site)
• Paramasaayika (81 squares) corresponds to Nava-pada (nine divided site)
• Aasana (100 squares) corresponds to Dasa-pada (ten divided site).

Mandala in construction

The concept of sakala and nishkala are applied in buildings appropriately. In temples, the concepts of sakala and nishkala are related to the two aspects of the Hindu idea of worship – Sagunopaasana, the supreme as personal God with attributes and Nirgunopaasana, the supreme as absolute spirit unconditioned by attributes.

Correspondingly, the Sakala, complete in itself, is used for shrines of gods with form (sakalamoorthy) and to perform yajna (fire rites). However the Nishkala is used for installation of idols without form- nishkalamoorthy- and for auspicious, pure performances.

The amorphous center is considered beneficial to the worshippers, being a source of great energy. This could also be used for settlements.

In commercial buildings, only odd numbers of modules are prescribed as the nishkala or amorphous center would cause too high a concentration of energy for human occupants. Even here, the Brahmasthana is left unbuilt with rooms organised around.

n accordance with the position occupied by the gods in the mandala, guidelines are given for zoning of site and distribution of rooms in a building. Some of these are:

North – treasury

Northeast – prayer room

East – bathroom

Southeast – kitchen

South – bedroom

Southwest – armoury

West – dining room

Northwest – cowshed.

MahaVastu

A development that made Vastu Shastra relevant to modern day architecture came with the introduction of MahaVastu Handbook, the world's largest book on Vastu Shastra by Vastu Shastri Khushdeep Bansal Bansal after researching on Vastu Shastra for over twenty years, succeeded in establishing a connection between the ancient logic of Vastu Shastra with modern day living.

The findings of his research have laid foundation of MahaVastu, the parallel yet modern school of thought and practice of Vastu Shastra.

The logic and the reasoning that MahaVastu gives for Vastu Shastra is convincing the newer generations to create their houses in accordance to Vastu. Various professionals have thoroughly studied the subject and have found most of its guidelines quite believable. With the increase in its popularity, some people are choosing Vastu consultancy as an alternative career.

Western reception

Vastu has made inroads in western esotericism (where architecture and "environmental metaphysics" have traditionally been dominated by Chinese Feng Shui) only in the 2000s, reflecting the comparatively recent revival of Vastu in Indian society itself.

Beginning in the late 1990s, a number of Western publications aiming at the esotericism market have appeared, offering Vastu as an alternative to Chinese Feng Shui.

This is an erroneous assumption as the two fields are completely different. Vaastu Science and Technology is concerned with building from the ground up.

There is very little that can be done to an existing structure to change the Vaastu effect., Recently, Vastu has been dismissively described by a British tabloid as "an obscure Hindu version of feng shui" but the tabloid does not cite any reason for its opinion.

Vaastu Shastras are not exclusively Hindu. Their origins precede what is known as Hinduism. The Shastras have been used for thousands of years to build all kinds of structures including temples for Jains, Hindus, Buddhists, Mosques, churches, pyramids all over the world, bridges, roads, large and small houses, apartments, medical clinics, palaces, huts, forts, and just about any form that requires engineering, architecture, or sculpture.

Traditional dance, music, and poetry stem from the same tradition and use the same mathematics to create vibrant forms.

By Anjalika.in

Posted by Editorial Team on 03:29 in aiming, appropriately, buildings, crystals, Feng Shui., reception, Vastu, yantras