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Intellect and cultural renaissance: An essay by Humayun Kabir, from the HT archives

ByHumayun Kabir
Jan 24, 2025 03:13 PM IST

HT's Republic@75 special: It was said education can wait but Swaraj cannot. Now, some use ‘industry’ in place of Swaraj. We must fix our core values, says Kabir

Intellectual awakening is the basis of all cultural renaissance. Whether it be literature or philosophy, fine art or science, the best work can be done only in an atmosphere where the mind is free and willing and able to penetrate to the heart of things.

At a National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp in 1976. (HT Archives) PREMIUM
At a National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp in 1976. (HT Archives)

Whenever the people are intellectually alert and vital, we find manifestations of their vitality in different forms of cultural activity. India had for several centuries suffered from intellectual torpor and the result was seen in political subjugation, economic stalemate and social stagnation. The impact of the West acted as a shock and brought about an Indian intellectual reawakening. It is as a result of this awakening that India has in the last hundred or hundred and fifty years developed a new urge of life which led to artistic efflorescence, social changes and finally political liberty.

The task of reconstruction of life is, however, still far from complete. In fact, it has only begun with power in the hands of the common man for the first time in India’s age-old history. A new foundation of a prosperous economy must be built. Awareness of social and political rights and duties must develop side by side. A new feeling of common nationhood in a common human world must permeate all aspects of individual and communal life. The basis of all these constructions must necessarily be a new intellectual orientation of the common man.

It was intellectual ferment generated by contact with the West that ultimately ushered Indian independence. After independence, the intellectual ferment continues as before but one may question if the re-examination of old values has gone far enough. There is a good deal of turmoil on the surface. We find evidence of froth and sentiment and also at times a careless disregard of old values. This is not however the kind of intellectual renaissance that we need…

‘Some of the political leaders thirty years ago did not realize that Swaraj means the self-government of men and hence the quality of the citizen is basic to the success of Swaraj,’ Kabir writes.
‘Some of the political leaders thirty years ago did not realize that Swaraj means the self-government of men and hence the quality of the citizen is basic to the success of Swaraj,’ Kabir writes.

Enlightenment demands sustained effort and an attempt to distinguish between the living and the dead both in the old and the new traditions. There is as yet too often in India a tendency to take too many things for granted, whether these things are borrowed from our ancient past or are trappings from recent thinking of the West.

I will take only one example of the way in which our thinking has been content to skim the surface and not go deep down in the depths of our national problems. We have not yet fixed in our minds an order of priorities in our values. Thirty years ago, it used to be said that education can wait but Swaraj cannot. There are some who repeat the same slogan today but only substitute “industry” in place of Swaraj. Some of the political leaders thirty years ago did not realize that Swaraj means the self-government of men and hence the quality of the citizen is basic to the success of Swaraj. Because we neglected and to some extent still neglect education, we paid and are paying the price in many national ills. Industrialists of today are equally prone to forget that modern industry is dependent on the quality of personnel and personnel can be trained up only through education. In fact, it would perhaps be true to say that real education cannot wait, and all else waits on education in the true sense.

***

Ten years of freedom is too short a space to eradicate the evils which have accumulated through centuries. Nevertheless, the first ten years in the life of a free nation are important for they set the tone and decide the temper of future years. A great deal has no doubt been done in many fields but some of the basic questions about the future pattern of our life and economy still remain unanswered. In fact, many basic questions have not been even asked. The old Indian attitude of letting others think for us still persists. We are content to say that this was Gandhiji’s view or this is what Tagore said. We have not yet begun to examine whether modification in what these great leaders said is necessary in the changed context of today. Not that we always follow their teaching — only too often we deviate — but we do so without raising any fundamental questions and recognizing openly that we are departing from what they taught.

This is dangerous in a double sense. It is dangerous, for we are able to avoid the responsibility of openly differing from the teaching of a great leader. It is also dangerous because it may encourage the habit of slurring over real difficulties and differences. It requires courage and energy to accept a position explicitly and on our initiative. If we are able to take shelter behind a great name, it may foster an attitude of intellectual indolence. Worse still, it may lead to the growth of a hypocritical attitude where we pay lip allegiance to ideals which in actual practice we repudiate.

***

Conscious adherence to intellectual ideals can alone provide the antidote to lethargy, vagueness and hypocrisy. A country with so ancient and glorious a history as India always faces the risk of confusing renaissance with revivalism. Chauvinism can so easily pass for legitimate national pride. Let us take due pride in all that has been achieved during the past decade in the field of material achievements and cultural endeavour. Let us however be equally conscious that what we have achieved is largely a carry-over of processes initiated before India became free.

There has been widespread evidence of growth of interest in all kinds of things, but as yet there is not much evidence that the quality of our achievements has improved. This is a task especially for the intellectual. He will fail in his proper function if he does not develop in himself and inculcate in others a spirit of balanced criticism and judgment.

He must examine all existing values and be no respecter of persons or traditions, but he must do so in a spirit of understanding and sympathy. The awakened intellectual will then become the guardian of our cultural heritage and be able to ensure that the perennial stream of India’s genius never runs dry.

[Humayun Kabir (1906-1969) was a poet, writer and professor who served two stints as union minister of education. He also headed the University Grants Commission. This article was first published on January 26, 1958]

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