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January
2000
Cover Story TOWARDS A CITIZENS CHARTER AGAINST
Based on our experience, we present below a few suggestions that could be the starting point for teachers, parents, concerned citizens IDENTIFY THE BLOOMERS
Ancient India is Not Vedic Hindu
India:
A history text–book should
not barter hatreds:
For example, in many Indian texts, the description of the invasions by Mahmud of Ghazni become an excuse — for the authors of the texts and the text-book board that okays them — to launch a tirade against Islam itself. Similar is our experience when we analyse the descriptions of rulers like Aurangzeb. Muslims and Christians and Parsees in a text-book of the Gujarat state board are dubbed ‘foreigners’. The Christian clergy is selectively criticised for their ‘corruption and succumbing to sensual pleasures during the Dark Ages.’ But the role of the Brahmanical priesthood that maintained and continues to maintain a stranglehold on learning/teaching, money matters and power over the vast majority of the Indian population does not come up for any critical examination. History of Religions missing from
our text-books:
Glorification of the Varna System:
There is no mention of the socio–economic ostracism associated with the premise and notion of untouchability, a notion unique in its cruelty because it means, “so impure as to be untouchable.” There is also no reference to the unspeakably unjust social system that emerged as a result. Sixteen per cent of Indian Dalits live under the conditions dictated by this social and economic ostracism even today. Ambiguity on Manu Smruti:
How should a text–book interpret
or explain this text-book within the framework of a twenty–first
century educational vision? Most of our text–books deal with this subject
uncritically. It is mentioned ambiguously and often comes in for
praise.
Does this representation do regional
justice? Does it encompass all the people’s movements that contributed
to the mobilisation against colonial rule?
The entire representation of Partition is sketchy and ambiguous, the complex factors that preceded the tragic division are unexplored. The birth of communal tendencies in all sections — Hindu, Muslim and Sikh — that effectively propelled the ‘two nation theory’ is selectively addressed. Who is held responsible? Only Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the Muslim League and by unspoken implication, Muslims. The singular success of Hindu communal organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Hindu Mahasabha in influencing public discourse is conspicuously missing in Indian texts; they are thereby spared any blame for divisiveness in the polity. As a concrete example, no Indian text-book (most of them gloss over the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in any case) pins the blame on the ideology and thoughts of the assassin, Nathuram Godse, influenced as he was by the RSS and the Mahasabha. No People’s History in our texts:
What about other human impulses, the insatiable human urge for intellectual and scientific inquiry? The genius for technological invention? The over-arching impulse to conduct exchanges, trade, business, to travel to explore? Power and man and how men have used and played with power over the ages? If the text does not elaborate on these themes, explore them yourself. Fascinating possibilities for classroom sessions emerge. These could take us, teachers of history into the history of numbers, the history of technology, the human propensity for squeezing natural resources and the resultant environmental damage. Each exercise will also contribute to animating the teaching of history and social studies, today considered a dull and drab subject. Biases, among other things, are extremely elitist. One statement in an existing Indian text ran thus, “An Egyptian king married a commoner. Though a commoner she was beautiful and intelligent.” (emphasis added). By implication a commoner is rarely so! TOWARDS A CITIZEN’S CHARTER
2. Discuss this with your principal and trustees. You may even find support and agreement there. If not, move on. Build your bridges of support from among other like–minded teachers and parents, even. 3. Create a group of teachers and parents who are concerned and agitated over the issue of, “What kind of education do we want for our children?” 4. Draft a simply-worded Charter. This should be easily understood, should contain and encompass most of our objections to the text-books under scrutiny and discussion. 5. Make this Citizen’s Charter the document around which you mobilise wider opinion. 6. Collect signatures that are significant in number and represent varied persona and interest groups. They should make a difference to the movement and back the charter. 7. Register your protest on the question by articulating your concerns as an advocacy group of teachers and parents, concerned citizens, through the media. 8. Insist on a dialogue and a response from the state/central educational board authorities. Keep a specific time-frame in mind. 9. It is unlikely that something concrete will happen. 10. If no change is forthcoming
as a result of this dialogue, you have an option of approaching the courts
and getting the offensive text withdrawn.
TEESTA SETALVAD
(In the course of the research work
for Khoj over the last six years, we have been in touch with a large number
of school teachers, principals and prominent historians all of whom are
unhappy with the current history and social studies syllabus and text-books.
Several of them have also been quite active in experimenting with alternatives
at the individual school level. We urge readers of Communalism Combat who
are active in this field to write back to us so that the experience
could be shared with others. Besides, for those readers who are interested,
we will be happy to put them in touch with or share addresses of others
who are also active in the same area. Join the Campaign Against Hate Teaching). |
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