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Preamble : |
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During this stay
I learnt and unlearnt much. Some of the American Institutions
attracted me and I used them both as a Lecturer and
student off and on. One of these institutions was
the Rand School of Sociology, New York, which imparted
instructions in social sciences to people whose circumstances
did not permit of their using the regular universities
and colleges for improving and developing their knowledge
of Politics, Economics and other social Sciences.
The institution is run more or less on the lines of
self-half. Lecturers are paid small honoraria from
the fees collected. There is a small endowment fund,
the income from which is utilised for house-rent and
other miscellaneous charges. From a humble beginning
this institution has now developed in to a great of-politics
somewhat on the lines of the Rand School of New York.
In August, l 920, the cruel hand of death deprived
the country of the services of a son, the like of
whom we may not see in our lifetime. It means Lokamanya
Bal Gangadhar Tilak. People of different provinces
put forward different proposals to honor the memory
of that great man. Never was an indian honored so()
profusely, so universally and so lovingly as Bal Gangadhar
Tilak was alter his death. Late Tilak was the first
indian to receive such a great and unique homage from
all classes and all sections of his countrymen and
from all parts of his country and even now the memory
of this services remains undimmed. If he was unique
in his life, he was unique also in his death.
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The
Lokamanya's death confirmed my plans for a school
of Politics and I at once decided to name it after
him. But immediately afterwards we were all occupied
in the Non-cooperation campaign. The actual work of
the Tilak School of Politics was however begun in
December 1920. Two or three paid instructors and lecturers
were employed to impart education; several others
promised to give lectures without receiving any payment.
A number of scholarships of the value of Rs. 15 to
Rs 25 per mensed were given to deserving students
and regular classes started. In 1921, however, a National
College was opened at Lahore as part of the Non-cooperation
campaign; the principal object of which was to specialist
in instruction in politics and economics. The founding
of the National College necessitated a substantial
change in the plan and design of the Tilak School
of Politics. Actual instruction in politics and economics
was transferred to the National College as were the
services of the instructors engaged for the Tilak
School of Politics. The Tilak School however continued
to give scholarships already awarded to young men,
all of whom joined the National College as regular
students. |
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One of the essential features of
the scheme of the Tilak School of politics was the
provision of training to young lien destined for the
political a d service of the country. This training
was to be both theoretical and practical, the idea
being to give them a sound grounding in social sciences
along with at fording them opportunities official
service so as to enable them to put to test the theories
they borrowed from books.
That was to be done by logans of' society of life
members organised on the model 01: the Servants of:
India Society of Poona. Therefore, scheme of life-
membership was evolved and efforts were made to collect
a permanent fund for the society and to establish
an up-to-date library. The Servants of the People
Society, with the Tilak School of Politics as one
if its activities, had the privilege of being formally
opened by Mahatma Gandhi on 9 November, 1 92 1, in
the house gifted to it by my humble self, the very
house from which I was taken away, to an exile, in
1907 My own books, may be a thousand or more as I
newel. Clutch them, formed the nucleus of the Library.
The first three members- who joined the Society were:
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Lala Feroz Chand, B.A
Lala Achint Ram, B.A.
3. Lala Purushottam Lal Sondhi, B.A
As such the Society has been registered and owns all
the property. The Tilak School of Politics functioned
for about two years, but on the opening of the National
College in Lahore its activities were stopped, the
same being transferred ailing with lecturers to the
National College. Thus the Society continued to function
both as school and as a body of public workers until
the National College ceased to exist. Since then the
educational work of the Society has been confined
more or less to arranging lectures on different political
and social topics, but the main activity of the society
has been with regard to social service work and political
propaganda. |
The
educational work of the Society has not been very
much to the front In the last two years because of
the lack of accommodation either for organised classes
or series of public lectures. But the object has never
been given up and society be revived as soon as circumstances
permit. For the present, the regular educational work
of the society being in a, balance, the society is
carrying on its original object of training young
men for national service. The idea, from the very
first has been to produce a kind of national lnissionaries
whose sole object would be to deviate the whole of
their time to national work. in a spirit of service,
without hankering for promotion or for furthering
their worldly interests, They are contented with the
allowances given to them by the society, and they
live a life of compal-ative poverty, which is a noble
ideal by itself. They do their work in a spirit of
sacrifice and service and in their own way, they are
a kind of a beacon light and example to others. There
are men, not belonging to any society who are also
devoting their lives to the service of the motherland
on the whole, besides the sphere of religious institutions,
the servants of India Society of Poona and the Servants
of the People Society of Lahore, are the only organised
missionary societies engaged in general national service.
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