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| Western writers out, Indian writers in for Rajasthan’s schools | Western writers out, Indian writers in for Rajasthan’s schools |
| (7 months later) | |
| There was something a little different about the new English literature textbooks delivered to the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan this week. | There was something a little different about the new English literature textbooks delivered to the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan this week. |
| Western writers such as John Keats, Thomas Hardy and William Blake had been replaced with Indian writers such as Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. Year 8 textbooks in Hindi literature had dropped texts in Urdu. A text about women’s emancipation had also been replaced. | Western writers such as John Keats, Thomas Hardy and William Blake had been replaced with Indian writers such as Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. Year 8 textbooks in Hindi literature had dropped texts in Urdu. A text about women’s emancipation had also been replaced. |
| The move, part of a government-backed rewrite of school syllabuses in Rajasthan, has been welcomed by some who say the old textbooks were inaccessible to students and teachers alike. But some academics claim the new focus – launched by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party – will reduce diversity of thought in schools and represents a wider shift towards right-wing Hindu nationalism. | The move, part of a government-backed rewrite of school syllabuses in Rajasthan, has been welcomed by some who say the old textbooks were inaccessible to students and teachers alike. But some academics claim the new focus – launched by members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata party – will reduce diversity of thought in schools and represents a wider shift towards right-wing Hindu nationalism. |
| Bheruram Choudhury, the president of the Rajasthan teachers association and an English teacher, praised the move, saying that “the majority of students simply can’t understand” western writers. | Bheruram Choudhury, the president of the Rajasthan teachers association and an English teacher, praised the move, saying that “the majority of students simply can’t understand” western writers. |
| “Currently the textbooks are full of foreign writers. Indian children, particularly those who come from villages and are in government schools, are struggling to understand them. In some cases, even teachers struggle to understand words and phrases in a text,” he said. | “Currently the textbooks are full of foreign writers. Indian children, particularly those who come from villages and are in government schools, are struggling to understand them. In some cases, even teachers struggle to understand words and phrases in a text,” he said. |
| “If the teachers can’t understand the texts, how will the students learn? The government’s decision is a good one. Western texts can be introduced later on to students who are performing well, but students should not feel as though they are being left behind.” | “If the teachers can’t understand the texts, how will the students learn? The government’s decision is a good one. Western texts can be introduced later on to students who are performing well, but students should not feel as though they are being left behind.” |
| But other teachers fear that schoolchildren will not be able to compete in further education with the new syllabus. Kishan Mittal, the secretary of Swayamsevi Shikshan Sanstha, a body of private schools, said: “The decision not to include foreign writers means that when our kids compete at a national or international level in higher education, they’ll struggle.” | But other teachers fear that schoolchildren will not be able to compete in further education with the new syllabus. Kishan Mittal, the secretary of Swayamsevi Shikshan Sanstha, a body of private schools, said: “The decision not to include foreign writers means that when our kids compete at a national or international level in higher education, they’ll struggle.” |
| Theprominent historian DN Jha, who faced violent attacks when he released a 2001 book criticising Hindu nationalist ideology, said the government’s move was closely connected to the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). | Theprominent historian DN Jha, who faced violent attacks when he released a 2001 book criticising Hindu nationalist ideology, said the government’s move was closely connected to the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). |
| “It is well known that rewriting of textbooks is a priority item in the RSS agenda,” he said. “Dropping wholesale of the western writers is indicative of the closed mind of the Sangh Parivar [an umbrella right-wing organisation that includes the RSS]. | “It is well known that rewriting of textbooks is a priority item in the RSS agenda,” he said. “Dropping wholesale of the western writers is indicative of the closed mind of the Sangh Parivar [an umbrella right-wing organisation that includes the RSS]. |
| “What is equally unfortunate is the dropping of pieces by prominent authors like … Ishmat Chughtai [a late Indian Muslim writer],” he added. “They are fooling the people by saying that the Urdu words are difficult. In my view the main reason for this is that they associate the Urdu language with Muslims.” | “What is equally unfortunate is the dropping of pieces by prominent authors like … Ishmat Chughtai [a late Indian Muslim writer],” he added. “They are fooling the people by saying that the Urdu words are difficult. In my view the main reason for this is that they associate the Urdu language with Muslims.” |
| Others have asked why Indian and western literature cannot coexist. Priyamvada Gopal, a professor of English at Cambridge University, said: “While it remains vital to nurture Indian literary traditions and ensure that they do not fall victim to the publishing industry’s emphasis on English language writing, there is no need to do so in opposition to studying English literature. There is, after all, also a vibrant tradition of Indian English literature.” | Others have asked why Indian and western literature cannot coexist. Priyamvada Gopal, a professor of English at Cambridge University, said: “While it remains vital to nurture Indian literary traditions and ensure that they do not fall victim to the publishing industry’s emphasis on English language writing, there is no need to do so in opposition to studying English literature. There is, after all, also a vibrant tradition of Indian English literature.” |
| The new textbooks arrived in the same week as the largest free speech protests at university campuses in 20 years, after the arrest of the president of the student union at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi on charges of sedition. | The new textbooks arrived in the same week as the largest free speech protests at university campuses in 20 years, after the arrest of the president of the student union at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi on charges of sedition. |
| After the protests, Noam Chomsky, Orhan Pamuk and 84 other academics signed a letter saying that the arrest was “further evidence of the present government’s deeply authoritarian nature, intolerant of any dissent, setting aside India’s longstanding commitment to toleration and plurality of opinion, replicating the dark times of an oppressive colonial period and briefly of the emergency in the mid-1970s”. | After the protests, Noam Chomsky, Orhan Pamuk and 84 other academics signed a letter saying that the arrest was “further evidence of the present government’s deeply authoritarian nature, intolerant of any dissent, setting aside India’s longstanding commitment to toleration and plurality of opinion, replicating the dark times of an oppressive colonial period and briefly of the emergency in the mid-1970s”. |
| A movement to promote Indian literature and put Indian writers on par with western counterparts has grown in recent years, prompting many bookshops to open separate Indian literature sections and an increasing number of literary festivals promoting local writing. | A movement to promote Indian literature and put Indian writers on par with western counterparts has grown in recent years, prompting many bookshops to open separate Indian literature sections and an increasing number of literary festivals promoting local writing. |
| But some critics fear that, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, things could go too far. | But some critics fear that, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, things could go too far. |
| In September last year, the culture minister, Mahesh Sharma, spoke at an event organised by the RSS about his plan to rid the country of sanskritik pradushan, or cultural pollution. He said: “We will cleanse every area of public discourse that has been westernised. | In September last year, the culture minister, Mahesh Sharma, spoke at an event organised by the RSS about his plan to rid the country of sanskritik pradushan, or cultural pollution. He said: “We will cleanse every area of public discourse that has been westernised. |
| “It is a matter of embarrassment when an Indian student goes abroad and is asked to recite a Sanskrit couplet but fails to do so. It is because we do not take pride in our ancient language and it has not been part of our learning,” Sharma said, pledging that he and the education minister, Smriti Irani, would create separate plans to revamp cultural institutions and education in India and rid them of foreign influences. | “It is a matter of embarrassment when an Indian student goes abroad and is asked to recite a Sanskrit couplet but fails to do so. It is because we do not take pride in our ancient language and it has not been part of our learning,” Sharma said, pledging that he and the education minister, Smriti Irani, would create separate plans to revamp cultural institutions and education in India and rid them of foreign influences. |
| Sharma and Irani both declined to comment when approached by the Guardian. | Sharma and Irani both declined to comment when approached by the Guardian. |
| In Rajasthan, a BJP junior education minister, Vasudev Devnani, caused controversy when he introduced compulsory sun salutations in yoga lessons at schools every morning and introduced religious texts to school libraries. In an interview with the Indian Express newspaper in December, Devnani said that the school curriculum should “make the child proud of Indian culture, and create an ideal citizen and a patriot”. | In Rajasthan, a BJP junior education minister, Vasudev Devnani, caused controversy when he introduced compulsory sun salutations in yoga lessons at schools every morning and introduced religious texts to school libraries. In an interview with the Indian Express newspaper in December, Devnani said that the school curriculum should “make the child proud of Indian culture, and create an ideal citizen and a patriot”. |
| The BJP has made other significant interventions in education across the country. In Modi’s home state, Gujarat, the BJP-led government introduced seven books by a controversial right-wing RSS leader, Dinanath Batra, as recommended reading in primary and secondary schools in 2014. | The BJP has made other significant interventions in education across the country. In Modi’s home state, Gujarat, the BJP-led government introduced seven books by a controversial right-wing RSS leader, Dinanath Batra, as recommended reading in primary and secondary schools in 2014. |