Presents the text of the author's speech delivered at the Zakir Husain Memorial Lecture. Major topics covered are the three channels of education in India (formal, informal and incidental); a historical perspective; challenges for and modernization of nonformal education; work and development: the core of nonformal education; extending coverage and qualitative improvement of the formal system of education; raising the level of incidental education; and essential conditions for success. (SH)