There is no doubt that the Bhagwad Gita, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana are part of India’s ageless and vast civilisational legacy. As such, it is necessary for its people to be acquainted with the wisdom and spiritual insight these literary classics contain. At the same time, however, these are also Hindu scriptures that have a religious context. So, when the Uttarakhand Government makes reading of verses from the Bhagwad Gita ‘mandatory’ in government schools, it presents a difficult choice for children who belong to other religions. Some may come from a background that considers such chanting blasphemous and may be unwilling to conform. Is it right and within the government’s powers in this context to enforce such a diktat?
If there was a sincere desire to acquaint young students with ancient wisdom and literature, it could have been done through careful selection of material that communicates the essence but does not directly require acceptance of religious terminology – more like ‘moral science’ has been traditionally taught in schools. It should be left to individual students, who once introduced to certain concepts may wish to obtain a deeper understanding in the future.
What enforcement of this mandate will likely do is cause Muslim students to stop studying in government schools and go back to the madrasas and be denied modern education. This would be contrary to the declared objective of the government to mainstream such communities. Considering that almost all students in government schools come from underprivileged backgrounds, it will only push them further into economic and social ghettos. Is that what the present government desires?
There is already so much that needs to be done to make Uttarakhand a developed and well-off state. What is the motivation behind such crude imposition of a worldview that disregards the constitutional oath to sincerely serve all sections of society? Even from the political point of view, the current disposition should understand that much of middle-class society in Uttarakhand, which represents a significant section of the electorate, does not favour such a mindset. The youth desire a forward looking leadership that understands their aspirations. These do not include a narrow mindset that does exactly what it otherwise condemns in others. It is unethical and also bad politics. This is a truth they should not have to learn the hard way.
