As part of the Indian government’s plan to purge the country of ‘cultural pollution’ and inculcate traditional values in the minds of its youth, lessons from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Gita would soon be incorporated into the existing syllabi of state-owned schools and colleges. The ministries of human resource development and culture have been planning to educate students about India’s cultural values by introducing them to Hindu literature.
Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Culture, said that the government would not be discouraged by the opposition accusing them of trying to promote Hindutva ideologies.
“We want to bring it as part of our culture that they (students) should be taught values, teachings of Mahabharata, Ramayana, Gita and all other spiritual values irrespective of caste, creed and religion,” Sharma told the media.
Comparing the above-mentioned texts to the Quran and the Bible, Sharma said they are not religious in nature and should thus be compulsorily taught in all educational institutions.
“It is an attempt to teach spiritual values to children. Ramayana is a way of life and it tells stories about many relationships - son and father, wife and husband and brother and brother. Likewise Gita is the knowledge given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna. These are not religious texts,” he said.
He elaborated that the importance of these texts are recognized in countries like Mauritius and Indonesia as well.
“Ramayana is a great book and its importance is being recognized in Indonesia and even Mauritius. These countries have set up Ramayana centers. It's high time we recognize their value,” he said.
Denying reports of him having said the Quran and the Bible are not representative of India’s culture, Sharma clarified that he respects all religions but the media chose to misquote him.
“I respect all religions. Bible is a religious text of Christians and Quran is a religious text of Muslims. Gita never advocates the worship of any God or religion. They are karma granths. But Bible and Quran preach to worship a particular God and religion. They are specific religious text for religions,” said Sharma.
The minister had earlier stoked controversy by saying that Western culture has been infiltrating India’s traditional values and thereby polluting it. Condemning the growing popularity of foreign languages among India’s youth, Sharma said that children should focus on learning Sanskrit and Hindi to fight the growing cultural pollution.
“It is a shame that students learn German and Spanish before learning Sanskrit or Hindi. I would like to term it a cultural pollution. Hindi is an optional language in many schools now. Sanskrit and Hindi should be made compulsory in all schools,” he said.
Photo Credits: Kuppilan
