Educating India

At issue was a set of proposals by Human Resources Development Minister Murali Manohar Joshi to "Indianize, nationalize and spiritualize education from primary to the highest education." Sanskrit, for example, would be compulsory from class three to ten. Schools would teach more about India's early developments in science, astronomy, mathematics, etc., and introduce moral and spiritual education at all stages in all schools. It would also likely recommend the singing of "Sarasvati Vandana," in all schools (invoking the Goddess of Learning) and "Vande Mataram" (also to the Goddess, and a famous song of India's freedom movement), The opposing ministers believed the unnamed "group of experts" cited in Joshi's recommendations were none other than nationalist Hindu supporters of the BJP, especially the Sangh Parivar organization of religious leaders and the RSS. The protesting ministers believed the proposals would destroy India's secular status. Only after Joshi withdrew the proposals did the ministers return and Vajpayee proceed with his speech. M. Venkaiah Naidu, BJP National General secretary, agreed, "Sarasvati Vandana and Vande Mataram are not the BJP's agenda. They are the national agenda. It was sung all the time. Sarasvati Vandana was rendered on Dec 3, 1997, at the same Vigyan Bhavan, where the President and Prime Minister were present -- it was then the United Front Government. Nobody protested at that time. In 1948, in Nehru's government, Moulana Azad, as the first education minister, did not object to Sarasvati Vandana. We all begin our education with Sarasvati Vandana, the Goddess of Learning. There is no reason for communalizing it." There are public schools that did teach Hindu values to their Hindu students. As a child, I remember changing over to a very moderate school, Sri Sarasvati Vidya Mandir in Bangalore, after studying in a convent school for three years. Our prayers included shlokas from Vedas and songs to Sarasvati. My friends and classmates spoke the regional language rather than accented English. It was a big cultural gap, but I found myself comfortable in this environment. We looked forward to the Friday evening Sarasvati puja, when we all sang bhajanas and devotional songs as one of the teachers performed the puja. With great enthusiasm we celebrated the annual Ganesha puja at school every year.