FilmIndia (Feb-Dec 1949)

Aggarwal Hits Government For Their Apathy ! xpects A Miracle With Educational Film! (By, Our Special Correspondent) It was in New Delhi and in totalunexpected cirles that I heard noes of the articles on educational |ms written in " filmindia " by . Goverdhandas Aggarwal. Manag Director of the -National Eduition and Information Films Ltd. Knowing my association with ilmindia ", a couple of now-uniploved princes with more money Ian intelligence wondered whether y could secure some shares ot . Aggarwals company and probly win a smile from Sardar lllahhbhai Patel for doing some tional work in educating the mas:-whom they had only robbed so r. Not being an under writer oi ares. I was amused for a while at e sudden awakening amongst our inces and touched by their kind licitude for our masses but when le of the secretaries whispered to e that his " Highness was interestI in merely investing money to best Ivantage. I refused myself the prilege of further amusement. Apart from these princes fishing »r more profits, I was surprised at e keen interest shown by half-aozen educationists who considered jr. Aggarwals articles provocave of new thought in a new field |E national activity. Some of them sked me a number of questions hich I thought Mr. Aggarwal lould have answered since he has ken up the none-too-easy responsiility of educating our people on de ixe lines with strips of celluloid 'om all over the world. A " LOVELY " (,l V : .\ visiting card of *' filmindia always a good admission ticke-' ) the exclusive chambers of the buiest industrialist in town. Il rought a big smile of welcome to 'ir. Aggarwal s young and chubby ace behind a large desk in National louse and pushing his papers asid" e asked the conventional question What can I do for you. .sir ?" Noth ing at all for me. It is all or you" I replied. "Lovely" aid Mr. Aggarwal. I wondered hat was " lovelv " about it. " Mr. Aggarwal."' I said. " the editor wants me to ask you a few questions regarding your articles and vour scheme of educational films ". Lovely " ! said Mr. Aggarwal again. And 1 wondered again. "What exactly is an educational film, Mr. Aggarwal? " — that is how 1 began the serious part of the talk and expected another " lovely " to fall out from Mr. Aggarwal s smiling lips. " An educational film educates in the true sense of the word * education . By acquiring merely the ability to read and write one does not necessarily get real education. Our present educational system has so far succeeded in merely creating a large crowd of glorified clerks who forget all their academical training in the very first year of their working career . Mr. Aggarwal paused for breath and fiddled with his pencil. He resumed again: "In a free country the social, moral and intellectual stature of its people must be the anxious care of all patriots and educationists. This needs an allround education not with quickly evaporating values but with firm and permanent mental impressions which must last a life-time to provide guidance to a man. Books can train the mind to a certain point, but the average man can rarely retain any permanent impressions from books alone. To him must be given visual aid to fix in his mind permanently what he has been reading. That is where an educational film comes in — to emphasize with visual aids the instruction contained in a book. If the eyes see what the mind reads, the instruction goes deeper into the subconscious regions of the human mind and stays there for a life-time. Don't vou think so?" "Lovely "! I said. Mr. Aggarwal sounded like a fanatic missionary of education for a moment. ANIMATED TEACHING 1 " But do you think Mr. Aggarwal. that these films will some day replace books and teachers?" " Not at all ". Mr. Aggarwal replied with impatience. "The educational film provides the teacher with one more progressive instrument of education. It helps him to illustrate his verbal teachings and give concrete visions to feed the imagination of his students. It lends animation to the dull and lifeless routine of our schoolrooms and thus sustains the interest of all students. Raja Saheb of Chichli, H. H. Raja Saheb of Idaipur (CP.) and Mr. Goverdhan das of Tribluivan Production at the Bombav Races. 41