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November 3, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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How Readers responded to Saisuresh Sivaswamy's last column
Date sent: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 12:03:09
Dear Mr Saisuresh, Have you given any thought to the fact that we gave shape to the concept of religion? Do you really think the sole purpose for the birth of religion is to praise the Almighty? Don't you think religion was, if not conceived, evolved and developed to form the basis of a formatted and, hence, healthy and satisfactory life? To put it another way, don't you think religion was created to make the constituents of the civilisation really civilised so that life is predictable in a general sense and easy to follow, and to prevent things from 'going to the dogs'? How can you say that religion and culture are independent? 'Religion is a way of life' is an often-heard but seldom-understood statement. If it is a way of life, is not it what should lead to the evolution of the culture of the civilisation that it belongs to? I believe it should; if the Thais don't, does that imply that we have to (or rather we CAN) follow what they are doing, for don't we know that the situation that exists in India is unique? Do you not know that even in missionary schools culturally evolved tales like the Ramayana are taught? The only thing is that since there is no historical proof of the validity of these cultural epics, that is also stated there -- and why not? After all, each new generation has the right to build its own concepts about things being believed and followed around them. The problem is not of teaching the lore but the manner it is to be presented. You don't want it to be stated as the indisputable, unchallengeable, eternal truth? Which is what the whole noise being made is all about. You must also be aware of the fact that the syllabus in Muslim fundamental countries is designed with certain 'presumed' and 'unquestionable' set of ideologies. Their whole studies are based on these. The result is that the new generations, generation after generation, do not even come to know of the fact that they have the capacity (and the need) in them to think more, better, ahead, and differently. To improve. To get to know what their ailments are in the first place. You want to see that here. Not that it is possible in any case because of the "difference' that this country of ours enjoys as compared to anything better or worse. Sincerely, Manish Varma
Date sent: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 14:00:19 -0500
Excellent article. A beautiful insight. I also want to point out that the title "Saisuresh Sivaswamy on the Saffron Educational Agenda" is insulting. To talk of Indianising education is not communal and by calling it Saffron Agenda, Rediff is insulting us. So what if the BJP is the one doing what needed to have been done at the time of Independence? Tomorrow, if the prices of potatoes and onions are brought down, will you call the low prices saffron prices? How very idiotic. Ashish Chandra
Date sent: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 19:18:07 -0800
An excellent article -- to the point, brisk and touching the core of several issues that India faces. Very rarely do one see prose so well written. The tragedy that Saisuresh talks of is the tragedy of our entire country, especially of the Hindus. With all of our diversity and our state of political and intellectual bankruptcy, it has become impossible for us to recognise what is ours to be proud of. It takes a foreigner to point out what we had and what we have lost and continue to lose. Our ability to openly debate and discuss, to think through principles and stands so that they could be coherently presented and argued out, is non-existent, especially at the political level. Thus, well-meaning governments, politicians and bureaucrats are unable to push through reform at any level. Combine it with those that oppose them simply because they would rather rule, and the country pretty much comes to a standstill most of the times. However, with all the press I am reading in recent months on the BJP, I continue to be hopeful that we shall make progress at better than the Hindu Growth Rate! Mahesh Singh
Date sent: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 16:01:19 -0000
At last, a sensible article from Mr Sivaswamy! Goes to show that when you look at issues, rather than who presents them, you can take a sensible view. The point with this entire education brouhaha is that the BJP should be given a chance to do things. They, in turn, should try to do it in a competent manner instead of mixing up issues. A Sonia Gandhi (who is a foreigner anyway) cannot be expected to understand why it is necessary to promote Indian cultural values among our students. After all, most missionary schools (catholic and anglican) seek only to somehow instil the so-called Christian way of life among pupils. I know because I went to one. Today I ask myself, why do I know the 23rd psalm, and not the Saraswati Vandana? Not that I don't appreciate the psalm, and so many other beautiful things I learned in school, but I do wish I knew more about my own culture. I know that when my kids go to school, it will be in India, and NOT in a missionary school. And I hope that they will not be fed on a diet which excludes their cultural values. If the relevant articles of the Constitution are amended, and all communities (not just minorities) are given the right to run schools, what is wrong with that? Why is it important for Muslims and Christians to preserve their religious teachings (many of which are absurd, eg the evolution debate in Christian teaching and the earth being described as a flat object in the Koran), and not for the Hindus? I don't think religion should be taught in government schools, but there has to be a cultural grounding in Indian ethos. So let us have religion-based schools for all communities so that all those who want religion-based education can get it, and then let us have state schools with a clear objective of educating Indian students and inculcating in them an "Indian-ness" if you will. And let those who feel that this Indian-ness is something to be scoffed at, send their kids to a British or American school, or a missionary one. Whatever the people want in terms of education, surely a Sonia Gandhi does not have a right to screech about the democratic choice. She isn't even an elected leader. Moreover, she and her late husband were obviously of the scoff-at-the-Indian-ethos school of thought since their kids went to missionary schools and then the British school. After all, if she were responsible for education, we can expect that she will glorify everything catholic and western, and decry everything Indian. Let people like her keep out of the lives of natural born Indians. We don't want a Western agenda funded by the Indian taxpayer. For that matter, we don't want a Marxist agenda in our education either. The Marxists clearly have an open agenda in trying to rewrite history to cover up for their failed theory. Marxists should be kept out of education at all costs -- after all, anyone who is a Marxist cannot possibly have any thinking ability, and should be prevented from teaching children. But most importantly, let us get our kids in school, so we can be proud to be 100% literate. Ruchira Raghav
Date sent: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 16:21:37 -0500
For centuries foreigners ruled India. Cultural slavery still persists. There is nothing wrong knowing about others, but it is absolutely wrong, rather dangerous, to ignore what's ours. Ask the Non-Resident Indians how much they feel the need to preserve their own identity in a hostile atmosphere. An attempt to know the past leads one to a road of dignified future. Sure this will not stop the student from learning present-day sciences and technologies. Can all the Yadavs and the Sonias tell anyone what individually and collectively they have done to mentally and materially uplift the masses? Can any body tell me what is wrong in reading the Yajanvalkyas, Vivekanandas and Kalidasas? What is wrong about knowing about the Padmanis and Lakshmibais, the Prataps, Shivajis, Govindsinghs and Tipus? My suggestion to the BJP and all those who have power, capacity, knowledge and resources is to start developing texts and courses. In time, the Indian parents will find it worthwhile for their children to know their roots.
Date sent: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 14:48:54 -0500
Normally, I find Mr Sivaswamy biased against the BJP, but this is a fairly well thought out article. Garuang G Vaishnav
Date sent: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 18:34:10 EST
Saisuresh Sivaswamy's analysis is intelligent and very thoughtful. To the question why an administration will not launch a national education policy that is reflective of the aspiration of a vast majority of people, the answer is that the Congress, like the Communists, was not a representative party. In a country whose institutions were brutally destroyed in the last several centuries, the Congress had only a handful of people to fall back upon after Independence. They monopolised and abused the power. It was not truly a democracy for the vast majority of people, of the vast majority of people or by the vast majority of people. Even today those peripheral parties are insulting day in and day out the vast majority of people. Do you think those tolerating the degradation of one community will spare another? Rasik Sanghvi |
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