Letters from a Forest School

by Chitta Ranjan Das

1

Genres: Education

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Chittaranjan Das (C.R. Das) was an Indian politician and Founder-leader of the Swaraj (Independence) Party in Bengal under British rule.

Reviews

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably this one is the good book on Indian education, which I read recent years. This book deals with a Forest School, at Champatimunda in
Orissa in 1954. The Post-Basic School which lasted only 4 years, due to lack of support later, highlights the need of such schools to strengthen education system on the guidelines of Gandhian principles. The book gives an account of the school, which I feel important to all the educators to try and put them in practice.

[Geeta Ramani · Rating 5 out of 5]

LETTERS FROM A FOREST SCHOOL
CHITTARANJAN DAS
Translation DIPTIRANJAN PATTANAIK
First published in Oriya language as Jungle Chitthi

I am very happy I picked Letters from a Forest School as the first book for my 52 Book Reading Challenge, 2021. It reestablished my link with my chosen vocation. My years as a school teacher were greatly rewarding. At the same time, I was able to put in perspective some of the problems I had encountered during that period.

The Forest School was inaugurated in the outskirts of Angul, in a forest, in the state of Odisha. "This synergy with nature is the greatest attribute of the forest, the best gift of our Forest School." It was established eight years after India won her independence from the British, with a view to make India self sufficient. Unfortunately it had to be closed, just four years after its establishment, due to paucity of funds. The four years of the existence of this School, provided valuable insights to the founder-author, and this book is a record and testimony of those four years.

The book begins with the authors observations about the shortcomings of the present education system, followed by suggestions and measures he implemented in his school, to overcome them. The author was very inspired by the advanced and liberal educational system in four North European countries— Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland— and Israel. Besides providing a job passport to students, he hoped education would also help them to become self-reliant, develop a worldview, build character, inculcate a quest for knowledge and revel in the joys of learning.

[Shru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting concepts were introduced which makes me rethink the definition of education. I am glad that the book also candidly shares what went well and what didn't so that it works as a good base for any new educators who might want to explore this form of teaching.

[Chandar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remarkable for the sheer audacity of the experiments that were conducted by idealistic Indians in the early years after Independence.