GANPAT VIDYALAY

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A Book Review

Book Title: DIVASWAPNA

Author: Gijubhai Badheka My Rating

INTRODUCTION:
Divaswapna is a story of a teacher Mr. Laxmiram who rejects the
orthodox culture of education. He remains enthusiastic towards children
and continues to experiment while consciously neglecting the traditions of
teaching and prescribed textbooks. The theoretical background of his
experiments lies in Montessori, but his preparation and implementation
are thoroughly local.
The book was first published in Gujarathi way back in 1932. Strange that
the struggle for improvement of primary education was started long back
and still there is so much to do. The book tells a fictional story of a
teacher who seeks permission from the education officer to conduct
experiments related to education on 4th std students.
Trying to swim against the current by purposefully shunning the orthodox
methods of education he faces many difficulties. He is largely
disappointed to see theoretically ideal things were not so easy to
implement practically. He then devises various creative and intelligent
ways to help teach children in a completely new way.

Teachers have used creative methods of teaching. One thing that I liked
very much is the way he goes into the details of his experiments and I am
amazed at how nicely he devises ways to solve the problems that are
confronted due to the syllabus that is mandated for him to teach.

The best part which I liked is the way he teaches grammar to students by
helping them understand the core concepts and caring of pupils towards
their personal hygiene.
This situation is optimum for the re-publication and dissemination of
Divaswapna, written by Gujarat’s famous educationist and teacher,
Gijubhai Badheka (1885-1939). The same year, Kashinath Trivedi, the
well-known educationist of Madhya Pradesh, took the initiative to publish
Divaswapna in Hindi. Trivediji had learnt from Gandhi that right action
requires untiring patience for its success. His dream of seeing Gijubhai’s
writings on education widely disseminated has come a little closer to
fulfillment today. But the dream of bringing about a change in education
can materialize only after a prolonged struggle along the line in which
Gandhi, Tagore, and Gijubhai had moved. The educational theory
propounded by all three of them emphasizes the child’s need for an
atmosphere of independence and self-reliance. Gijubhai gave this idea an
institutional basis by establishing his Bal Mandir in 1920, and in his
writings he identified the different facets of the idea.

MY VIEWS AND THOUGHTS – Into The Context of Present Education:

1. Teaching of Personal hygiene is neglected in the present education
system.
2. The author says – Beating does not allow children to learn, it
increases tension, psychologically stress. But in the present primary and
high school education nowadays also we can see beating by teacher is
common.
3. Author has highlighted the importance of Storytelling and games in
his experiment, but the present education system lacks these methods.
Teachers are unaware of the importance of using Storytelling and games.
4. Importance of building good rapport with children is also important
before beginning the experiments, in the present education teachers are
not given importance for this. They are in a hurry to start classes and
finish the given syllabus.
5. For the effective results every day the Teacher should prepare a
plan of action for the next day, this is also totally neglected.
6. Author has described that, with the available resources, how
teachers built a Library, in the present education system such types of
initiatives are required.
7. Mr. Laxmiram called a meeting for Parents, it disappointed him due
to lack of parents participation. In the present education system also it is
lacking. There is a greater need and importance to involve community in
planning, implementation and evaluation of educational programs,
8. In the book the author has not promoted the ‘Ranking System’ in
education, but in the present system of education we can see a ranking
system.
9. Likewise with Mr. Laxmiram’s method we need to develop a system
in present education information about how many books had been read
by each pupil of his class during the specific period. Each page had the
name of the pupil at the top and, below it; the pupil had to enter in his
own handwriting the names of books read by him.
KEY LEARNINGS:
1. This book shows that teaching primary children is no child’s play
which requires lots of creative hard work and patience
2. Experiments need time and resources.
3. Teachers themselves should act like the examiners. They know,
more than anyone else, the abilities of their pupils and reasons for their
weak performance. They can best judge whether a pupil is fit for
promotion or not.
4. The creative methods like storytelling, the library building, model
reading, games, and dictation, listening to the recitation of poems,
cleanliness and prayer have played a greater role in the process of
Experiment.
5. Importance of concentrating on children those who having
difficulties in reading and writing
CONCLUSION:
"The primary purpose of a school is to guide the child’s discovery of his or
herself and his/her world and to identify and mature the child’s talents.
Just as each seed contains the future tree, each child is born with infinite
potential. In the article he suggests that many teachers and parents try to
be potters instead of Gardeners in molding their children’s future.”
Imagine a school which sees children as seeds to be nurtured-here the
teacher is a gardener who tries to bring out the potential already present
in the child.

The author Gijubhai Badheka in Divaswapna has made an attempt to

explain possible areas for developing knowledge and learning skills of a
pupil which in turn helps all round development of the child.
A book review by
Rupal Rathod
Tal. Mehsana
Dist. Mehsana
Cell: 9408672588
Email: rupalrathod1600@gmail.