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E-mail from readers the world over
Date sent: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 20:11:38 EDT The misbehaviour of some state education ministers shows how deep the virus of anti-nationalism has set in. People who are not proud of their heritage can not achieve much. The Andhra Pradesh education minister's assertion that computers are more important than Vedas is totally wrong. She should study the people who invented computers. If she does, she will find that they are proud of their Christian heritage. It is this inherent pride which enables them to invent computers and everything else worth mentioning. I wonder how many of these ministers boycotting Saraswati Vandana would have boycotted a Christian or Muslim invocation. These pseudo secularists never tire of singing praises of Mother Teresa and Babar, but cannot stand the patriotic Vande Mataram or Saraswati Vandana. Hopefully, the BJP will get a bigger majority in future so that nationalism instead of servitude to foreigners can become the basis for education in Bharat. Amulya Tyagi
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 22:14:02 +0530 If the HRD minister is bent upon improving the standard of "EDUCATION" in India, he should emphasise on the objectives of the Vedas, the Upanishads, or any other "educationally enlightening" material. This concept is used very well in many convents in India. I, myself, am an example. The moral stories I studied in school were straight out of the Bible. I personally feel that the HRD minister's thoughts need to be refined a little. Instead of trying to weave the Upanishads, Vedas (or any other thing for that matter) into young minds, he should strive to implement "quality education," which would set the foundations right for Indian society. Srikanth S V
Date sent: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 16:39:11 -0400 I don't understand why the fact that is realised by the Andhra Pradesh state government is hard to understand for the Centre or for that matter any other state government? Instead of fighting about regional languages in schools, why don't they work on improving the facilities and providing a whole new dimension of education by introducing computers as a tool for learning. How long can we keep our eyes closed from this fact? One can agree that learning a regional language can do some good for a child when he interacts with the local city crowd, but we need to understand that having computers as a source of vast knowledge right from childhood will be very beneficial for a child. It's time we broaden our scope and move in the right direction. Kamal
Date sent: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 18:40:21 -0400 This week I have found a lot of articles on this issue. Can somebody please tell me what is the exact meaning of "to Indianise, spiritualise, and nationalise?" If somebody says the Vedas are the meaning of "to Indianise, spiritualise, and nationalise," I would like to recommend them Thirukurral -- the Vedas for Tamil people, which has been accepted by the whole world. When each and every country is moving ahead, we are still digging the history of the 16th century and trying rectify it. If Babar made some mistakes in the 16th century, to rectify them in the 20th century means we are still living in the Stone Age, or some people are still trying to sustain their hold over the Indian community. Just by changing the words of history books we cannot forget or ignore the past. Past is true, but the future is not determined by it. Let us try to determine the future. Let us make the present easy. Just by destroying buildings, we cannot erase memories of the past. Why doesn't the same BJP try to destroy all British buildings and reconstruct them? By removing Gandhi from school books, they are trying to ignore a great leader who overpowered the British because of Ahimsa. How could a small group of Britishers control the entire nation? It was because of our fanaticism. How many Brahmins worked under the British? Who betrayed the so-called country Bharat to its invaders? Please understand that India is the combination of all kinds of people. Let us not lose our identity. But let us not force anything like this. The meaning of "to Indianise, spiritualise, and nationalise" is a combination of the common interests of Dravidans, Aryans or whoever. Let us work for that. A Tamilian
Date sent: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 11:15:14 -0700 (PDT) The education system in India definitely needs a thorough overhauling as it is not only irrelevant to the national scenario -- employment etc, but also fails to inculcate the attributes of good citizenship among students. According to a study, Parliament has not even devoted five hours of debate to this subject in the past two decades. As a result, universities are continuing with outdated curricula. Also, it is ironical that there has been no comprehensive review of the education policy after Independence and we are still continuing with the system adopted by Britishers. However, it is very sad to see the usual politics on this important subject. The two major points of current controversy are the proposals for the inclusion of Hindu values and some features of the schools run by Vidya Bharti. It seems that the seeds of controversy lie in politics and misunderstanding. Hindu values are an important part of the Indian way of life. At the same time the values highlighted in the Vedas and Upanishads are not religion-specific. They are equally useful for the followers of every religion just like yoga, meditation, Ayurveda. In fact, great sons of India like Vivekanand and Aravind strongly advocated the spread of these values in society. Even in America, the church has been trying hard to inculcate ethical values in the masses. So, education can be an ideal vehicle to impart spiritual values to children. It should not be difficult to identify the parts of the scriptures which are acceptable to all religions. Regarding schools run by Vidya Bharti, they are doing a splendid job all over the country. In fact, their students can be found in many well-known institutions of higher learning in India and abroad. I have known and taught some of them. They are as progressive and secular as their peers and have deeper understanding of Hindu values. In my observation, these students are more dependable and keep away from smoking, drugs and other usual habits of many of the modern-day students. I have noted that the kids of some of my relatives in India who go to Vidya Bharti schools are more obedient and well behaved than other kids in the family. Thus, the proposals received from different quarters should be discussed with an open mind to see their suitability in the multi-cultural Indian society, and should not be shouted down on party lines.
Dr Sunil Kumar
Date sent: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 20:01:57 +0200 The BJP wants to impose panditai on us.
Kailash Srivastava
Date sent: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 09:06:38 -0400 What a pity! These so-called educationists are so messed up that they cannot respect Saraswati Vandana, which is essentially invocation to learning. They do not realise that by walking out during Vandana, they are insulting 85 per cent of the Hindu population. If anything, such stupidity on their part would make the BJP stronger, as people will see through these pseudo-secularists. It is very very sad that in their constant and unending efforts to paint the RSS as fundamentalists, these people do not give a chance to even discuss some of the very valid suggestions - after all, RSS-run schools have the best record in the country and people would not flock to these schools if that was not the case. And these bunch of self-serving people call themselves democratic! Finally, a question for Sonia Gandhi. What do you know about the secular fabric of Bharat? You do not even know the language, let alone culture or how the hearts of the people of Bharat throb. And who said that national consensus on any issue cannot be changed for ever? Is our current education policy arrived at by truly national consensus or foisted on the nation by Nehruvian, Leftist pseudo-secularists of JNU types? It is also regretful that the BJP government succumbs too easily to pressure. Either they should not have included Chitalingia's presentation or they should have stuck to their guns.
Gaurang G Vaishnav
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 18:09:45 -0300 I don't see anything wrong with this plan of introducing Vedas and Upanishads in the education system. If Muslims or other minorities don't want to study them, they should not. But Hindus should know about their religious texts and teachings. It's because in India we don't have this kind of a system, a majority of Indian Hindu kids in India don't know much about Hinduism. I think it is a great idea. After all, all Indian schools in the Middle East teach Islam and the Quran in detail to Muslim kids. Others need not learn. So why not in India??? I know we are secular, but does this mean we shouldn't teach our religion to the younger generation???
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 16:50:31 -0400 It is a shame that we live in times where Indian heritage is being opposed by Indians themselves. Those who oppose the study of the Vedas and the Upanishads are probably the same people who have never read them and believe that their study causes some sort of disharmony. When are we going to stop fooling ourselves and recognise that we first and foremost have to care about what is Bharatiya, and then worry about what and who it can harm. In fact, if the very people who are now opposed to the study of Indian culture, were to read even a section of these great scriptures, they will realise that Vedic religion is indeed Vishwa Dharma. Not that we seek to carry a banner and a sword and conquer all who oppose us, but nevertheless, in the words of Swami Vivekanada, "then and then alone are you Hindu when you are able to love all irrespective of which stream (religion) they follow. All streams, no matter how crooked they may be, lead to the same ocean, the One." And he goes on to say that these words are not his but come from the infinite wisdom of the Vedas, which are eternal. How can the study of these scriptures harm anyone, especially in India? This is part and parcel of our culture. If there is anything that India stands out for, it is spirituality. How can the pursuit of the same be opposed? I am a product of the system set up by the people in NCERT and I feel, especially here and now in the US, that I have missed out on our culture and our values, which have been given to us by our ancestors. Apart from the token opposition by Muslim and Christian groups, I think even the ordinary Muslims and Christians will realise that the study of these scriptures is not a study of religion, but a study of their own culture, something that they have forgotten and/or shunned on account of their leaving the Vedantic fold. Anyone here wondering why we shouldn't study the Bible and the Quran also, should find an answer in the fact that the Constitution, in its present form, allows for minority groups to set up their own institutions where, unfortunately, they are allowed to discriminate in favour of their co-religionists, St Stephen's College, New Delhi. Why, only in today's The Times of India did I read that Sonia Gandhi has called the inclusion of the Vedas and the Upanishads a "subversion" of our so-called "secular" ethos. The West Bengal government has instructed its representative, the state education minister, to walk out if the function starts with Saraswati Vandana. Does Sonia even know what Indian culture is? It's just so disappointing that one good step in India has to put up with all this rottenness that our politicians are so generously imbued with. I won't be surprised if Mulayam Singh Yadav declares that he is starting yet another agitation to protect the 'secular" culture of India from "these fascists". Just another dejected Indian Ashish Chandra
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 09:56:26 -0700 (PDT) I think the issue of "Indianising" education has to be taken in a deeper context. India is just beginning to assert itself in every field. This includes science, medicine, agriculture and most recently economics. Minister Joshi is now taking a critical look at the Indian education system. Remember that the Indian public education system was established by the British with a specific agenda of creating loyal servants to the British crown. What Macaulay called "Brown Skinned Englishmen". Therefore many perspectives especially historical ones were distorted. Today Indians in all fields are rediscovering themselves and attempting to correct these distorted perspectives. I applaud Joshi for his efforts. Chetan Gandhi
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 16:05:54 -0400 Are we heading to the period of Vedas where people were divided by their work and trying to live a monkey life? These Vedas have been created and imposed by a certain community of people in India. Still they are trying to impose the same in the name of Hindutva. If the HRD minister or the BJP wanted us to learn the Vedas, let them first translate everything in other Indian languages. Let it be open to the common man of India. I still believe India is a country which was formed after the freedom movement. If our people are able to stop all their stupidity like dividing people in the name of religion etc, I hope the nation called India will exist in future. Instead of introducing Vedas if the HRD minister could introduce the veda called humanity, peace and love will prevail. This will glorify the Indian people. If the HRD minister could kill the caste system from everybody's mind and make every Indian equal that will make me appreciate him. Let the HRD minister work on the improvement of each and every Indian child living in poverty. Let the HRD minister work for each and every Indian village which has been suppressed for years. Folks, let us first understand that there was no country called India before the British landed here. It was a land of small kingdoms where a lot of people like Dravidians (Tamil, Kerala, Telugu, Kanadika) people also lived. Let us work for our common interest. Please don't talk about these Vedas to people like us who had emerged from the villages of Tamil Nadu against all constraints of community and other factors. We don't want anything else but good education and a trouble-free atmosphere to live in.
Pandiya Kumar Rajamony
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 11:51:29 -0400 Yes I totally agree with what Joshi is doing. We all must try to bring our old heritage back instead of learning from the Western culture and forgetting ours. There is no way other than starting it from schools, there is nothing wrong in it. We must all respect our culture and must not be ashamed of accepting it. Jai Hind.
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 09:27:28 -0500 I take offence at the title offered for this lopsided article. What is wrong in making children aware of our legacy and heritage? Saffronisation? Would you have been happy if they had included gospel preaching in school curriculum? The Upanishads and Vedas are our heritage, and what is wrong in teaching children what was our forte before Tom, Dick and Abdul came in? George Iype, enough of your hype. Srinivas Murthy
Date sent: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 07:05:52 PDT This is regarding your article on the saffronisation of education. To put things in proper perspective, I am forced to relate an incident. Kindly bear with me while I elaborate. Many years ago, I recall seeing an NCERT school textbook which claimed that wheels for railway wagons were made for the first time in India by the Bokaro/Bhilai Steel Plant. Since I hail from Jamshedpur, I know for certain that TISCO (ie Tata Steel) was producing the said item long before the Bhilai Steel Plant had even been dreamt of it! Several other people noticed it too -- but we did not know what action to take. India does not have many steel plants and it is not very difficult to find the products of a particular plant. Then how can this claim be explained? The claim is false and deliberate. It seems to me the claim was made so that a public sector steel plant would actually look better than what its performance would warrant. But why? And to what benefit? The whole thing failed to make sense. Recently, I came across an article by the indefatigable Arun Shourie which stated that several people in NCERT were known to have strong Leftist leanings. Suddenly the false claim made sense. Marxists have always distorted the truth. Whether it be Russia or China, distortion of history is part and parcel of Marxist policy. Closer home; while India was having a love affair with socialism, distortions of truth by Leftist educationalists would enjoy royal sanctions from the Secular Durbar at New Delhi. Thankfully, India's honeymoon with socialism is now over. And we must now look at NCERT's performance to date in the cold, harsh daylight of reality. To most rational people, NCERT does not just distort the truth, it tells outright lies. If cleaning this Augean stable of secular and socialist filth is to be termed 'Saffronisation' -- so be it. The earlier we do it, the better it is. Krishna
Date sent: Tue, 20 Oct 1998 17:41:05 -0700 (PDT) I think it is about time young Indians knew about their own culture and heritage. I have been living in the US for the last six years and I have found that at US high schools American students are taught almost nothing but American history and culture. If the Americans can do that with their five hundred year history, then certainly we can with our 5000-year-old civilisation. I have met Indian students here (mostly from English medium schools in India) who don't have an inkling about Indian history (they haven't heard of Shankaracharya!!), but can talk about existentialism (one student told me they read it in their senior year!) Indians are fortunate to have ancestors who wrote the Gita, Upanishads and Mahabharata and for better or worse they were Hindus. We cannot change that fact. We should make the reading of the Gita, Mahabharata, Tripitaka, Upanishads mandatory for all high schools, but we should also teach them how to read those books critically. The Bible and Quran should also be part of the curriculum. It will finally allow students to explore the deepest and most complex issues of human life. I am a 26-year-old student from West Bengal, and I have seen (while I was there) the worst phases of cultural imperialism (Marxist/Leninist propaganda) which I still cannot forget. If Emerson, Thoureau, Spinoza could gain so much from our culture, if our culture could rejuvenate the whole German idealism in the nineteenth century, then I don't see why we, Indians, should oppose this education. Swami Vivekananda, I recall, said almost the same thing about education. In my philosophy classes, when I claimed that I am conversant with Indian philosophy the professor asked me, "So, do you know Sanskrit?" I was ashamed to answer "no". It is a shame that we are not being taught such a beautiful language. Indian Muslims, Christians, Parsis are Indians and Hinduism happened to be primary religion of ancient India, why should they be against learning about their own culture? Is it not true that in Europe it was mandatory to learn Greek or Latin in high school even twenty years ago? Then why are we so ashamed and paranoid about India's past? Is being "politically correct" more important than being "right"?
Shubhabrata Dutta How Readers reacted to Ashwin Mahesh's recent columns How Readers reacted to T V R Shenoy's last column
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