Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 164
164 strive to conquer the world. As a result of this thinking, those children w ill never back down in time s of difficulty but will in fact move forward. They will in fact, not fight alone, but be pushed forward by their fathers and grandfathers. On the other hand, a person from a tribe which has not preserved any history or tradition does not know whether his forefathers were noble or corrupt, brave , or cowardly. In the field of war , he will figh t alone and more often than not, will demonstrate cowardice. Thus , traditions create unity. T herefore , preserving a nation’s traditions is a great means for its progress. T his is why in Europe all schools and colleges have a motto. It is the students and professors ’ duty alike to instill in themselves the qualities [of the motto] and then strive to instill it within others. Aligarh University is the only school in India to establish traditions. Aligarh University graduates are more distinguished than other students and have proven themselves with distinction in all walks of life. In the same way, the graduate s of Oxford and Cambridge u niversities maintain their traditions and customs. Almost all colleges in Europe have a motto. Here, every college should establish its motto, its goals , and its purpose, and then always keep these in view. For example, you can have a motto which stands for truth and sacrifice. If you make such a motto and strive to develop these [qualities] to a greater extent within the college students, then the advantage will be that wherever this girl goes, the motto will stand before her, and she will try to spread those [characteristics]. After creating a motto, the administration can stamp all the books and notebooks with this logo. Some colleges hav e even stamped it on shirt s near the necklines. In this way, gradually as they graduate from the colleges, generation after generation is produced [that hold these values]. The first batch graduates and then their children graduate, then their grandchildren, and it continues, creating kinship and unity among them. Just as a family carries on through generations, this tradition will carry on too. For instance, if one Oxford University graduate recognizes another one by his clothing, he w ill excitedly rush to him and say, “Oh, you were at Oxford too !” It would not matter to him if the other person were from France or Germany or any other country in the world. When he sees another Oxford graduate, he will engage f urther with him. It is the same way with students from Cambridge University.