Dr. John Mohan Razu, Professor of Social Ethics
CTC, Mokokchung
[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or the past few weeks we have been reading and witnessing intense debates on education in the print and visual media. The core issues that surface in all these debates and writings are centered on “Hinduization” of our education. How come and why is it all of a sudden spurt of heated discussions and contestations on this? Incidentally we have a new government at the Centre which is premised on definitive ideological and cultural slants. The Government at the Centre is backed by a party (BJP) driven by an ultra-rightist fundamentalist ideology. It has a clear political vision and a well-drawn road map to realize it. To realize its vision, BJP employs diverse means and methods. Education is one of its tools that the BJP intends to use and be employed as an effective means and methods to further its political project.Apparently, the last debate in the just concluded Lok Sabah session, BJP’s Yogi Advaithnath of Gorakhpur frequently chanted and claimed that all Indians are Hindus. Before we agree or disagree we should go deep into this subject-matter. Therefore, we need to delve into the root meaning of these two terms which would help us to understand the debate better. The term “Hindu” comes from Arab al-Hind which the French pronounced “Inde”, and thus expanded to India. The people of (H)industan were named as Hindus or Hindis. When the westerners came to these shores, this term or designation given to a whole people, but has been morphed into a label for a broad spectrum of Vedic faith(s) by excluding the Christian, Muslim and certain other categories. Unfortunately many hardly know or vaguely understand the clear distinctions of these terms.
If we look at it objectively, carefully and trace the development of these terms all Indians are culturally and civilisationally Hindu or Bharatis. But these terms have gradually been appropriated by Vedic faith(s) and gradually elongated as Pan-Indian. In order to strengthen its expansionist agenda, RSS, a cultural wing of BJP furthers its Hindutva an exclusivist political ideology that visualizes establishment f Hindu Rashtra. RSS played the pivotal role in the recent Lok Sabha elections. RSS has always been crystal clear that: “It is not an individual, but the party” meaning nobody is bigger than the party. Accordingly, as soon as BJP won the elections Modi paid his respects to RSS and visited a number of times in the formation of the government, even while allocating portfolios to his council of ministers. Major policy decisions and appointments for the top brass bureaucrats for various departments of the government are made in consultation with RSS.
RSS has umpteen plans to hinduise the Indian society. After BJP’s victory RSS nowadays unfolds its intent on several fronts that creates controversies and contestations. The issues that RSS’s top brass and its adherents utter creates unease to the very fabric of the plural fabric and multi-religious canvass of our society. RSS cleverly uses different strategies openly after BJP’s landslide victory in recent elections. RSS’s commitment to Hinduise reverberates and the logic put forth is it is a Hindu nation because Hindus are in majority. Those who are born in this soil are all Hindus could rightfully claim their citizenship of this country. Others with distinct religious identities should henceforth be called as “Hindu Christians”, “Hindu Muslims”, and “Hindu Sikhs” and so on. So, RSS is gradually widening its tentacles on other identities (minorities and subalterns) to establish a Hindu Rashrtra (nation).
RSS is amalgamating diverse religo-cultural identities within its Hindutva ambit. So the whole process that RSS employs should be viewed under the rubric of cultural nationalism. RSS is all out to rope in other identities and religious persuasions. Amongst all the terms RSS’s usage of “Hindu” becomes the centrifugal word for the RSS. RSS the cultural wing of BJP is vying to subsume other faiths and people outside its bracket. Once this distinction is understood, attitudes will change and the motif of RSS will be exposed. Further, the Sangh Parivar portrays Indians who adhere to secularism as “pseudo secular”. BJP is not keen separating politics and Hinduism apart. In the coming days BJP may throttle religious freedom that all of us enjoy as guaranteed under Article 25 of the constitution.
Two dominant streams emerged on the nature of an Indian nation in the late 19th century. One stream preferred India to be a Hindu country, while the other wanted a liberal, secular and socialist. Tilak belonged to the first view while Gokhale preferred the other. In literature, Bankim Chandra took a Hindu view, Tagore the liberal path. Parallel to these the same time RSS kept alive Hindustan. M.S. Golwalkar, the chief architect of the Sangh, wrote that “foreign races in Hindustan” should adopt Hindu culture and language, must entertain no ideas but those glorifying the “Hindu race” and should be wholly subordinated to the Hindu nation, claiming nothing, deserving no privileges, for less any preferential treatment, not even citizen’s rights”. As we are aware of the fact that the framers of the constitution eventually opted for the secular stream as thus named the new territory as “India, that is Bharat” that radically departs from that premises of Pakistan and Hindustan.
For more than 60 years of Independent India, the country has been following the ideals of secular, plural and democratic India. The 16th parliamentary election has unfolded a landscape that could take India to the other extreme. Prime Minister Modi as the Prime Minister of India was a full-time RSS man. RSS was in total agreement for Modi’s candidature as the Prime Minister. He has been mentored by RSS and continues to draw inspiration from its broader vision of a resurgent India. Resurgence of India is not just in economic terms, but more particularly transforming India as Hindu Raj. More importantly, RSS leaders are aware of Modi’s mandate. RSS has reposed total faith on Modi that he would by all means translate RSS’s vision of Hindu Raj. This arrangement aided with aggressive and pragmatic approach of Modi make things easier for RSS-government to further their Hindutva project.
Increasingly the word “Hindu” in recent times is being frequently uttered in the media, both as a political and cultural identity. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat firmly believes that those who live in Hindustan irrespective of religious persuasions are Hindus. “Hindu” is a firmly grounded term that resonates the culture of the land of all the people. The term “Hindu” connotes the ethos of “Hinduness” of the “Hindu” land. Therefore, RSS via BJP is systematically deconstructing the India’s notion of “Hindu” as the past baggage that denotes the riposte of western imperialism. RSS is antagonistic towards the western cultural expansionism in India.
The cultural rightists believe that the modern post-Independence elite created an Indian knowledge system that suppressed and ignored Hindu traditions. Hence, the Hindu fundamentalists believe that it is their dharma to restore Hindu Sanskrit to the school curriculum. As part of it the BJP went all out to change the Teachers Day to Hindi/Sanskrit. In tune to this BJP and its cultural outfits are desperate to pull back the 21st century young India into an illusory ‘Vedic’ age which is regressive and backward-looking. Paradoxically, RSS and BJP some years ago vehemently opposed to inviting foreign capital and FDI, now in a hurry luring foreign private capital to India. Similarly RSS viewed especially through the eyes of ‘Indian made’ and ‘foreign made’. BJP-RSS combine categorizes goods and commodities through its ideological and cultural lens and rubric of ‘Swadeshi’ Vs ‘Videshi’.
Due to stagnant growth, depletion of foreign exchange reserves and exports, falling GDP and GNP and appalling economic indices the new BJP government realizes that India too is placed in an increasingly globalizing and competitive economic order. Accordingly, it is planning to open SEZ, EPZs and hosts of new economic initiatives and outlets to woo the foreign capital especially from the Western European and North American countries. So, when it comes to money and capital from the West, for RSS and BJP they do not pose any ideological and cultural problems because capital has absolutely no creed and color and thus transcends its narrow cultural nationalism! For hundreds of years we have been part of the globalization cutting across the shores for trade and commerce. It is in this context, what is ‘Indian’ and what is ‘western’ in the current phase of globalization? As Amartya Sen rightly points out: Does the use of penicillin amount to westernization? Is paneer deeply anti-national because cottage cheese was first brought to India by European settlers in East India? Is chili non-Indian because it was brought to India by the Portuguese? Is tea non-Indian because it was bought to India by the British?
As against the backdrop, I would like to unravel the whole notion of education. Education is not about content, not just providing the right texts books, syllabi/curriculum or creating ideal Bharatiya/Hindu citizens. Education is all about the processes employed how we acquire knowledge, how we learn to ask questions. In order to acquire these components pedagogy is given the central facet in which the learner occupies the important place who eventually becomes free thinkers, reformers, change agents, interlocutors and iconoclasts. The outcomes of any system of education ought to be premised as stated and enumerated. Modes are varying i.e., localized/globalized/indianized, but certainly not hinduized. Indianization and Hinduization are not the same but entirely two different opposing constructs.
At this point of juncture let me reiterate that education should not be construed as Indianization hyphen Hinduization matrix. They are polar opposites. In the name of ‘Hinduization’ the Government of India and its paraphernalia such as RSS, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Munnani and ultra-right outfit are desperate to introduce their curricula and Hindu brand of education in education by giving preference to select portions of history eulogizing select individuals and thinkers, highlighting select historical events with glaring subjectivity by distorting certain facts, imposing particular languages such as Sanskrit and glorifying certain texts and discarding others are to be taken seriously because all these involves ideological and cultural colors mp to one particular world view as against other world views thereby creating fanatical, clouded and frenzied mind-sets and thus preparing pervert minds in the form of cultural annihilators.
Indian education should mean to create the questioning spirit and questioning without fear and favor. Compelling and enforcing based on one world view inhibit and constricts the learners widening their horizons of understanding. Educational system should facilitate intellectual freedom which would blossom many as innovative thinkers and translators. Suppression of knowledge in and through single mode and single world view is detrimental for the present and future of India. Education is for life and thus unfolds innumerable horizons of possibilities and understandings.
