In memoriam Vinod Raina (1950-2013) THE news about Vinod Raina’s death on 12 Septem- ber came as a rude shock. Not many, including those who gathered that evening at the Lodhi Road crema- torium, were aware of his four year long struggle with cancer, possibly because he and his wife and co-participant in the movement to democratize educa- tion and science,Anita Rampal, hated the fuss that inva- riably accompanies news of such developments. But then Vinod, despite his high profile involvement in multiple causes, both at home and abroad, never quite appeared comfortable with the spotlight turned on him. The tendency to personalize movements and struggles, focusing more on spokespersons and leaders to the det- riment of foot soldiers and processes, invariably results in ego-based conflicts, including in progressive move- ments, a fact with which he was abundantly familiar. Like many of his generation, Raina was deeply moulded by the struggles of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the period when he joined the Physics depart- ment of Delhi University. This was also the phase when the then Vice-Chancellor, K.N. Raj, initiated a process of reform in both content and pedagogy. Raina was an enthusiastic participant in the xercises of reworking the course content in his department, as also pushing for changes in the methods of instruction. Little surprise that when Anil Sadgopal, of the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme fame, appealed for volunteers to help develop the methodology of teaching science to school children through a ‘learning by doing’ process, Vinod signed on, leading to a lifelong involvement with science teaching and children. And when Kishore Bharati,Anil’s organization, moved away to pursue other interests, Vinod Raina and his associates set up Eklavya in Bhopal to both expand and deepen the programme, together resulting in one of the most innovative and daring interventions in government schools. This development also brought Vinod in closer touch with the official machinery in Madhya Pradesh – political leaders likeArjun Singh and Digvijay Singh, and unusual bureaucrats like Sudeep Banerjee and R. Gopalkrishnan – whose help was critical if the ini- tiative was not to meet a premature end. Working with and through the establishment demands skills not always evident in those wedded to ‘revolutionary’ transforma- tion. It demands patience, an ability to persuade and negotiate, as also carry along those with whom one may have other conflicts. It is worth remembering that this phase of the mid-1980s also witnessed the Bhopal gas disaster and the deepening of the struggle against the dams on the Narmada. Vinod Raina’s involvement with these movements expectedly led to strains in his asso- ciation with the establishment, eventually (though this was not the only reason) resulting in a shutting down of the Eklavya programme in schools. From there to involvement with the National Literacy Mission, the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), or the movement for the right to education represents a long journey, a story that merits a fuller assessment.Along with his colleagues in the BGVS and the All India People’s Science Movement (AIPSM), Vinod was a key participant in the debates and strug- gles which eventually culminated in the Right to Edu- cation Act some years back. Beyond education, he also participated in the different struggles against the grow- ing virus of communalism, for the right to information, employment and food, for tribal rights, and compensa- tion and rehabilitation of victims of displacement, some of which, like education, have now been enshrined as constitutional rights. A demanding life of public engagement invariably takes a toll, on family life and friendships.A life time of pushing agendas and causes, usually against great odds, tends to leave those convinced of the worthwhileness of what they are espousing somewhat impatient with others who do not quite share their enthusiasmor strat- egy. Far too often this results in the development of a sec- tarian and conspiratorial outlook, as also bitter divides amongst those struggling for similar goals. And when the process involves continuous engagement and nego- tiation with the establishment, charges of being ‘sold out’ and ‘co-opted’ are common, particularly among the revolutionary purists. It is to Vinod’s credit that he some- how, successfully, managed to weather these charges. While much is likely to be written about his role in helping actualize the right to education, more specifi- cally in helping draft sections of the act and then for- mulating the rules of business, less is known about his involvement with groups and networks struggling against an unjust global order outside the country. His association with groups like the Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (ARENA), South- South, or the World Social Forum won him friends across the globe, helping provide a larger comparative frame for understanding the processes of change. Of particu- lar note is his deep association with Chinese activist – intellectuals, both in the PRC and Hongkong, in research and teaching programmes, all of which went a long way in nuancing his understanding of socialist transforma- tion. It also helped temper the attitude of Indian exceptionalism, as also arrogance, that so marks Indian interlocutors in regional and global settings. But all this is about Vinod Raina, the public figure. For his friends what matters equally are memo- ries of personal encounters – the love for music and food, the interest in poetry and fiction and, above all, the effort at nurturing and preserving friendships. As also his eternal optimism and the resolve to ‘never say die’. It is this that I shall miss. Harsh Sethi Consulting Editor, Seminar
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 01:51:38 +0000
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