Fresh report in India on the new developments in old California Text book Controversy

[Nagaraj Paturi]

This news item in Indian Express covers the new developments in the old California Text Book Controversy:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/proposed-california-school-textbooks-portray-hinduism-in-negative-light-hindu-education-foundation-4664882/

May it be remembered that many of the present hot developments in the area of Indological studies have their origin in the response of the Indian origin parents to the problem faced by them in answering the questions from their children based on what they heard in their class  rooms and read in their text books about India and Hinduism. Parents who disagreed with what they heard from their children reacted in several different ways ranging from stopping at helping their children get the perspective through critical reception of the class room teaching - through the parents themselves trying to encourage through funding research with a better perspective on India in American universities - to parents themselves plunging into research with a better perspective on India and producing counter narratives to the then prevalent ones. Some of the present conference series in India on Indological topics too have their origin in this class room born parent children discussions and the responses of the parents. The California text book issue is one such development resulting from such families having got to handle the children's learning at school.  

[Venkatesh Murthy]

Namaste

Before we worry how California schools are portraying Hinduism is it
not urgent to worry how Indian schools are portraying Hinduism and
history? Why should good ideas always come from the West?

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Regards

-Venkatesh

[Nagaraj Paturi]

The following piece says that objections were raised right from 1961 itself:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCERT_textbook_controversies

The issue is still burning. 

The controversy is still fresh. 

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-Venkatesh

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Nagaraj Paturi

 

Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.

BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra

BoS, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Veliyanad, Kerala

Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies

 

FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education,

 

(Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA )

 

 

 

[gobind medini]

// Before we worry how California schools are portraying Hinduism is it

not urgent to worry how Indian schools are portraying Hinduism and

history?//

Any specific points and suggestions as to what is worrying and how it is to be set right in the portrayal of Hinduism in India?

//Why should good ideas always come from the West?//

आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः is the Rigvedic maxim (RV 1.89.1).

So even if the good ideas and thoughts come from the West, there is no problem, though I do not know how its applicability here.

Yes, if the source of ideas is ALWAYS (the so called) West, then possibility of colonial and servile mind-set cannot be ruled out.. but the true spirit of RV 1.89.1 will remain intact to guide us.

g

On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 9:33 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmur...@gmail.com> wrote:

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-Venkatesh

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[gobind medini]

Perhaps, the thread may branch in different direction if we start discussing teaching of Hinduism and History in India so it can be another thread or may be dropped altogether depending on the focus of this group.

g

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Dear Sri Gobind-ji,

In this case, 'the west' does not mean the European origin Americans. It is the Indian origin Americans who reacted to the text books there.

Since Sri Venkatesh Murthy-ji's response was to the post reporting the reaction of the NRIs, and since he says "Why should good ideas always come from the West?' the 'west' here should mean NRis and 'good things' here should mean their reaction. 

You were asking for specific instances of Indian situation. 

The most well known comparable debates in India are the NCERT text book debates. I already posted the Wikipedia article on that issue and pointed out that the Indians did not wait for the 'west' (NRIs) to guide them. The protests to the content of the NCERT books have been there right from 1961. The article mentions the topics on which the controversies were centered and the ideologies that clashed etc. 

There could have been similar controversies around ICSE or state board books of various states too. 

The point is that Indians staying in India did not wait for the NRIs to guide them in this regard. 

What I did while posting the news was to explain the significance of this for us in India by pointing out things like 'Some of the present conference series in India on Indological topics too have their origin in this class room born parent children discussions and the responses of the parents.' in US. 

On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 9:22 AM, gobind medini <gome...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[gobind medini]

Yes, I was looking at it from quite a different angle. West=NRI in this specific context was not in my mind; and hence I could not understand the applicability of the term West.

g

[gobind medini]

Dear Shri Venkatesh Murthy,

The spirit of RV 1.89.1 is applicable in respect of American or European Indians as well. Native (resident) Indians will be happy to take ideas and learn from them if necessary. At the same time Indians (Hindus) will worry wherever the Hinduism is distorted - whether in the text-books, on the Internet, or any other public forum.

Yes, earlier NCERT textbooks had a Marxist bias. Hopefully, the things will fall in place without going into other extreme (like claiming the invention of airplanes and missiles in ancient India etc.). Even within history, the objective presentation of ancient and early medieval period is possible without causing political furor. Upinder Singh's book is the evidence of this possibility, though she had to skip invasions of Muhammad bin Qasim, Mahmud Ghazni, and Muhammad Ghori; while, the period she was supposed to cover was from the stone age to the 12th Century. In the Indian subcontinent this problem of objectivity in history is more evident in Pakistani text books (see, here). The magnitude and effect of this problem in Pakistan is destabilizing the region. This will also caution the Indian counterpart about how not to construct the text-books.

I believe, a new paradigm of liberal nationalism is in the making in India. The days of belittling Indian nationalism and Hinduism are over, particularly at the official level - at the center and in most of the states. This nationalism will be confident enough to acknowledge past weaknesses and fault-lines, and learn from the history without being captive to it.

g

On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 9:33 AM, Venkatesh Murthy <vmur...@gmail.com> wrote:

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-Venkatesh

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