India is not a secular country

[Developereo]

I think people are being too naive. Secularism on paper, in the Constituion, does not guarantee minority rights if the schools educate the next generation with certain attitudes. Yes, the Constitution is always there and people can take the matter to court, but ordinary people cannot fight court battles all day. In practise, it takes more than a Constitutional guarantee to ensure that people's attitude and behavior are also tolerant.

As we have discussed elsewhere, minority relations in India vary greatly from state to state. Doubtless, it has to do with local history and the education system.

Here is a long but informative paper by an Indian author: BJP’s Assault on Education and Educational Institutions
It might be dated, but the question remains whether BJP has reformed itself -- or only gotten smarter about hiding their true agenda.

While an impression is sought to be created that the BJP is holding back its agenda in deference to a large body of opinion in the country being opposed to it, on the ground the BJP has been having a field day in pushing through its programmes. It is concentrating on and going full steam ahead on the cultural – educational front in polarising society along communal lines. There is an attempt to Hinduise the educational system, root out liberal and leftist influences, and to re-write history in order to justify its anti-minority outlook.
[...]
Much of their agenda is incorporated through moral education and general knowledge texts that concentrate on inculcating a Hindu consciousness and ‘pride in being a Hindu’. In the Government schools in the BJP ruled states and in the 20,000 odd Vidya Bharti schools and the shishu mandirs all over the country, the prescribed syllabus presents Indian culture as Hindu culture, totally denying its pluralistic character and the contribution of the minorities to the creation of the Indian identity. Everything Indian is shown to be of Hindu origin and the minorities are characterised as foreigners owing their first allegiance to political forces outside this country.

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

I think people are being too naive. Secularism on paper, in the Constituion, does not guarantee minority rights if the schools educate the next generation with certain attitudes. Yes, the Constitution is always there and people can take the matter to court, but ordinary people cannot fight court battles all day. In practise, it takes more than a Constitutional guarantee to ensure that people's attitude and behavior are also tolerant.

As we have discussed elsewhere, minority relations in India vary greatly from state to state. Doubtless, it has to do with local history and the education system.

Here is a long but informative paper by an Indian author: BJP’s Assault on Education and Educational Institutions
It might be dated, but the question remains whether BJP has reformed itself -- or only gotten smarter about hiding their true agenda.

with all it's hindu agenda in a majority 80% hindu state, bjp is still not in power then you need to appreciate hindus in india.

 

[Developereo]

with all it's hindu agenda in a majority 80% hindu state, bjp is still not in power then you need to appreciate hindus in india.

Absolutely. I think todays Hindus in India are a reflection of the liberal education policies upholding Gandhi's vision.

But if the BJP curriculum takes hold broadly, how will the next generation behave?

 

[KS]

Before threatening MF hussain ignorant hindus must destroy all those nude art work and sculptures in their own temples in india first .How about starting from Khajuraho etc....

Fool, they are not sculptures of Goddess. But of Apsaras. Dont spout BS without knowing a bit about my religion. And then we have another one thanking this BS without knowing about it.

cow slaughter is not banned all over india.and yes 1000% those girls were hindus.

Another BS. 'Cow' slaughter is not allowed anywhere in India. It is the 'Bull; meat that is served as beef.

 

[KS]

Absolutely. I think todays Hindus in India are a reflection of the liberal education policies upholding Gandhi's vision.

But if the BJP curriculum takes hold broadly, how will the next generation behave?

What exactly is the 'BJP' curriculum ??

Last time I checked neither BJP nor RSS want any of the other religions to be exterminated from India. BJP/ RSS at the most say other religions must also respect Hindus in the same way Hindus respect other religions and that tolerance is a two way street and not a one way street from Hindus as some 'intellectuals' and 'pseudo-seculars' want.

Very fair demand - Want tolerance ?? Show tolerance.

 

[StingRoy]

Absolutely. I think todays Hindus in India are a reflection of the liberal education policies upholding Gandhi's vision.
But if the BJP curriculum takes hold broadly, how will the next generation behave?

We haven't seen any change in our secular curriculum even when BJP was in power... school syllabus is not dictated by the party in power... it is rather a decided by independent education councils who layout the curriculum. You should note that nowhere the BJP manifesto declares that they will change the curriculum in the education system if they are in power.

 

[EastWest]

Fool, they are not sculptures of Goddess. But of Apsaras. Dont spout BS without knowing a bit about my religion. And then we have another one thanking this BS without knowing about it.



Another BS. 'Cow' slaughter is not allowed anywhere in India. It is the 'Bull; meat that is served as beef.

That guy/gal knows nothing about India or Hindus.He just spews hatred against us because of who we are..

 

[true_indian]

One thing I noticed is Pakistanis (no offense) desperately try to prove that India is not secular in almost all the threads. Even if the minorities among us vouch for it. I think its because if it is so, then Pakistan has no meaning for existence. A serious case of lack of identity. You cannot run a country just to be anti of another country.

 

[EastWest]

One thing I noticed is Pakistanis (no offense) desperately try to prove that India is not secular in almost all the threads. Even if the minorities among us vouch for it. I think its because if it is so, then Pakistan has no meaning for existence. A serious case of lack of identity. You cannot run a country just to be anti of another country.

They think by proving India is not secular they can justify the birth of Pakistan.
They are still in the web of conspiracy theories that india wants to capture Pakistan.but they dont understand that today's indians care about them less.If there were no terrorist support from Pakistan, ordinary indians would'nt even know that their neighboring country is called Pakistan.

 

[punit]

This article shows the true face of Hindu India. Secularism means that all parties must compromise. What a joke. Does this means that Muslims can slaughter cows and freely sell and consume beef?
In actuality it means that all Muslims will start following Hindu religion and forget about Islam.

so secularism is all about slaughtering cows and eating beef and if Muslim do not do this they are following Hinduism .. wow

 

[Agnostic_Indian]

Absolutely. I think todays Hindus in India are a reflection of the liberal education policies upholding Gandhi's vision.

But if the BJP curriculum takes hold broadly, how will the next generation behave?

i don't know what exactly is bjp education agenda..but i don't think believe bjp with its pro hindu agenda good for india..or is congress with it's pro minority agenda..unfortunately we don't have a political party with middle ground..so what i prefer is stay with congress and oppose it's minority agenda..i see congress as a lesser evil and more likely party to come back to a balanced approach..just my pov.

 

[Developereo]

Looks like nobody bothered to read the article I quoted. Once again: BJP’s Assault on Education and Educational Institutions

In the Government schools in the BJP ruled states and in the 20,000 odd Vidya Bharti schools and the shishu mandirs all over the country, the prescribed syllabus presents Indian culture as Hindu culture, totally denying its pluralistic character and the contribution of the minorities to the creation of the Indian identity. Everything Indian is shown to be of Hindu origin and the minorities are characterised as foreigners owing their first allegiance to political forces outside this country.

The rest of the article details some very disturbing material from the coursework.

The BJP may have gotten smarter about hiding their true agenda but does the leopard ever change its spots?

 

[jayron]

Looks like nobody bothered to read the article I quoted. Once again: BJP’s Assault on Education and Educational Institutions



The rest of the article details some very disturbing material from the coursework.

The BJP may have gotten smarter about hiding their true agenda but does the leopard ever change its spots?

Vidhay Bahrati is an organization with affiliations to Sangh Parivar. It is only natural for them to promote the virtues of Hinduism more.

 

[gulte]

Looks like nobody bothered to read the article I quoted. Once again: BJP’s Assault on Education and Educational Institutions



The rest of the article details some very disturbing material from the coursework.

The BJP may have gotten smarter about hiding their true agenda but does the leopard ever change its spots?

Can you elaborate those disturbing quotes from the article for the benefit of PDF viewers.

 

[Developereo]

Vidhay Bahrati is an organization with affiliations to Sangh Parivar. It is only natural for them to promote the virtues of Hinduism more.

Absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating Hinduism but, apparently, these guys do it at the expense of other religions.

Can you elaborate those disturbing quotes from the article for the benefit of PDF viewers.

In 1996, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) conducted an evaluation of school textbooks in various subjects, including those prescribed in Vidya Bharati schools in the country. It found that many of the Vidya Bharati textbooks were "designed to promote bigotry and religious fanaticism in the name of inculcating knowledge of culture in the young generation."
[...]
Muslims are painted as the enemies of the nation and responsible for Partition, and the Hindu communal forces as the greatest patriots and nationalists. The conflict between the Mughals and the Marathas and Rajputs, also feudal powers are given the status of nationalist struggles. Shivaji and Rana Pratap are great national heroes for their opposition to ‘Muslim power’. Similarly, K.S. Hegdewar and M.S. Golwalkar are great heroes in the books used as part of Sanskar Saurabh series where as Nehru does not find a mention. Among the great men of India no Muslim or Communist finds reference, where as the most insignificant of Hindu heroes are extolled in extravagant terms. Those who cannot be ignored by any means are appropriated by misrepresenting them and what they stood for, as, for example, Bhagat Singh.
[...]
there re numerous references, questions, and arguments in favour of the destruction of Babri Masjid, the presentation of the Kar Sevaks of the uninterrupted line of ‘freedom fighters’, of Mulayam Singh Yadav as a ‘mullah’ and murderer of Hindus.
[...]
Child marriage, jauhar, sati, purdah, jadu-tona and superstition were all due to the fear of the Muslims (p. 284 HSIB 1)


That's just a quick skim of the first few pages...