For a while now I have been planing to blog. As i am through with my exams, thought it would be a nice way to kill my time. For days I have been writing about various topics, but just could not seem to finish them. Today after a long time started to read the news paper. While i was going through the editorial of "The Hindu", saw an article on the text book controversy in Kerala. Even though it had been going on for a while now, I only paid attention to it today. After reading it felt like it would be the perfect topic to restart my blogging.
The whole issues surrounds around a class 7 Social Science text book. Apparently a lesson in the text book "Mathamillaatha Jeevan(Jeevan, the casteless)" is meant for propagating communist ideology. The extract from the lesson is given at the end of the blog and you decide for your self.
I am by no means a communist. In fact i believe that the only way India can move forward is if the communist have less or basically no power.( "If the Left have a future in India, then India has no future left" just felt like quoting this, heard it on TV, don't quite remember who said it). But in this case i am strongly behind the education minister and the communist government. After going through the text one question came to my mind. What the fuck? I found the text to be extremely harmless. The reason for introducing the lesson was to promote religious tolerance and give the children a different perspective on the matter of religion. They just wanted the child to think.
Various religious groups and the opposition have been protesting about the text for a while now. Don't these policy makers and leaders of our state have any other job rather than reading class 7 text books? Even if they had read it, i can understand them creating havoc if there was some basis in their allegations. It just gives the student a different take on religion. Is their religion so weak that, if their children get anything which questions it, their faith would go? I know that religion is very important and sacred for many people, but does that mean that one should eliminate everything that questions it? The thing i love about the Indian constitution is that it announces India as a secular country and gives us freedom of speech. Just because a particular view is not agreed upon by a few doesn't mean that it should be suppressed (as long as no law is broken by the view)? Even though our constitution gives us the freedom of speech, I find that these days people cant use it as freely as they should. I think people should be more flexible to different views. I believe that India is a better country than China just because of the freedom that Indians enjoy. I do not think that we should take that for granted and ensure that it is not taken away from us.
I know the job of the opposition is to oppose. The communist did it when the UDF was in power and now they are giving it back to the Left. But of all the issues to make noise they pick this one(this is quite true with all oppositions). Our states economy is in shambles, there is a serious lack of infrastructure, crime is increasing, there is water shortage, power shortage the list goes on and on. But the opposition thinks that a text book is the most important problem in Kerala.
I see no reason for the text to be withdrawn, nor do I seen any communist ideology in the lesson. All text books will contain different kind of ideologies. I do not think text books will change the way a child think as much as real life situations does. All this is a vicious cycle. I could go on and on about the advantages of freedom of speech and the drawbacks of politics in India, but it would be quite pointless. I believe each individual should try and do something, as little as it my be, about the stuff he/she wants to change.
Irrespective of the government in the opposition such ridiculously issues will often pop up. I believe its high time that the political parties act more selflessly . Oppose something if they truly believe its wrong. They should put the countries/states interest first rather than their own selfish interest( i know i am asking too much of them).
This is the controversial text(source - The Hindu 26/6/2008)
After seating the parents, who had come with their ward, in the chairs before him, the headmaster began filling the application form.
"Son, what's your name?"
"Jeevan"
"Good, nice name. father's name?"
"Anvar Rasheed"
"Mothers name ?"
"Lakshmi Devi "
The headmaster raised his head looked at the parent and asked:
"Which religion should we write?"
"None. Write there is no religion"
"Caste?"
"The same"
the headmaster leaned back in his chair and asked a little gravely:
"What if he feels the need for a religion when he grows up?"
"Let him choose his religion when he feels so"
The whole issues surrounds around a class 7 Social Science text book. Apparently a lesson in the text book "Mathamillaatha Jeevan(Jeevan, the casteless)" is meant for propagating communist ideology. The extract from the lesson is given at the end of the blog and you decide for your self.
I am by no means a communist. In fact i believe that the only way India can move forward is if the communist have less or basically no power.( "If the Left have a future in India, then India has no future left" just felt like quoting this, heard it on TV, don't quite remember who said it). But in this case i am strongly behind the education minister and the communist government. After going through the text one question came to my mind. What the fuck? I found the text to be extremely harmless. The reason for introducing the lesson was to promote religious tolerance and give the children a different perspective on the matter of religion. They just wanted the child to think.
Various religious groups and the opposition have been protesting about the text for a while now. Don't these policy makers and leaders of our state have any other job rather than reading class 7 text books? Even if they had read it, i can understand them creating havoc if there was some basis in their allegations. It just gives the student a different take on religion. Is their religion so weak that, if their children get anything which questions it, their faith would go? I know that religion is very important and sacred for many people, but does that mean that one should eliminate everything that questions it? The thing i love about the Indian constitution is that it announces India as a secular country and gives us freedom of speech. Just because a particular view is not agreed upon by a few doesn't mean that it should be suppressed (as long as no law is broken by the view)? Even though our constitution gives us the freedom of speech, I find that these days people cant use it as freely as they should. I think people should be more flexible to different views. I believe that India is a better country than China just because of the freedom that Indians enjoy. I do not think that we should take that for granted and ensure that it is not taken away from us.
I know the job of the opposition is to oppose. The communist did it when the UDF was in power and now they are giving it back to the Left. But of all the issues to make noise they pick this one(this is quite true with all oppositions). Our states economy is in shambles, there is a serious lack of infrastructure, crime is increasing, there is water shortage, power shortage the list goes on and on. But the opposition thinks that a text book is the most important problem in Kerala.
I see no reason for the text to be withdrawn, nor do I seen any communist ideology in the lesson. All text books will contain different kind of ideologies. I do not think text books will change the way a child think as much as real life situations does. All this is a vicious cycle. I could go on and on about the advantages of freedom of speech and the drawbacks of politics in India, but it would be quite pointless. I believe each individual should try and do something, as little as it my be, about the stuff he/she wants to change.
Irrespective of the government in the opposition such ridiculously issues will often pop up. I believe its high time that the political parties act more selflessly . Oppose something if they truly believe its wrong. They should put the countries/states interest first rather than their own selfish interest( i know i am asking too much of them).
This is the controversial text(source - The Hindu 26/6/2008)
After seating the parents, who had come with their ward, in the chairs before him, the headmaster began filling the application form.
"Son, what's your name?"
"Jeevan"
"Good, nice name. father's name?"
"Anvar Rasheed"
"Mothers name ?"
"Lakshmi Devi "
The headmaster raised his head looked at the parent and asked:
"Which religion should we write?"
"None. Write there is no religion"
"Caste?"
"The same"
the headmaster leaned back in his chair and asked a little gravely:
"What if he feels the need for a religion when he grows up?"
"Let him choose his religion when he feels so"
5 comments:
I was not following the textbook row these days...still..
Is this the part of the book that they made all the issues for???:-O
@anoop
yep
The general state of affairs here is really fucked up beyond recognition. Noone behaves responsibly(opposition, government and people included). Least we can do is blog and vote sensibly next time
@rj
how can we be sensible and vote? as you have put it, and everyone of us believe, that the government and the opposition are irresponsible. and we do not have a third choice here
yes all this bull shit is going on in india giving bad name to india.
I want to leave the matter of reliegius matter by giving moral support to them becouse majority people are in hindu dharma
I propose Hindu dharma let it purified as castless,talented based dharma having full of love in humanity than dyeing for the powers on the basis of caste system
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