OnPathToSikhi Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 False Teachings for India's Students By THE EDITORIAL BOARD OCT. 8, 2014 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised India’s youth a bright future. As he is well aware, realizing that promise will depend on dramatically increasing educational quality and opportunity for the 600 million Indians under age 25, many of whom lack basic reading and math skills. In its 2014 Election Manifesto, Mr. Modi’s party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, called education “the most powerful tool for the advancement of the nation and the most potent weapon to fight poverty.” The question now is whether educational reform will be used not just to create an educated citizenry and trained work force but also to promote a particular ideology. While campaigning ahead of the May election, Mr. Modi, then the chief minister of the state of Gujarat, promised to bring the “Gujarat model” to national governance. Many voters understood this to mean a commitment to a more dynamic economy. But the Gujarat model has a less attractive side to it: a requirement that the state’s curriculum include several textbooks written by Dinanath Batra, a scholar dedicated to recasting India’s history through the prism of the Hindu right wing. In February, Mr. Batra led a successful effort to pressure Penguin India to withdraw copies of a book by Wendy Doniger, a religion professor at the University of Chicago, which he felt insulted Hinduism. Then, in June, the Gujarat government directed that several of Mr. Batra’s own books be added to the state’s curriculum. Mr. Batra’s teachings range from the trivial to assertions that simply cannot be taken seriously. His books advise students not to celebrate birthdays with cakes and candles, a practice Mr. Batra considers non-Indian. More troublingly, they instruct students to draw maps of “Akhand Bharat,” a greater India, presumably restored to its rightful boundaries, that include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mr. Batra also believes that aircraft, automobiles and nuclear weapons existed in ancient India, and he wants children to learn these so-called facts. In 1999, the national government, then led by the Bharatiya Janata Party, put Mr. Batra in charge of rewriting history textbooks to reflect these and other views of the Hindu right. Now it appears that the party intends to pick up where it left off when it was voted out of power in 2004. Mr. Batra says Smriti Zubin Irani, the minister of human resource development, has assured him his books will soon be a part of the national curriculum. The education of youth is too important to the country’s future to allow it to be hijacked by ideology that trumps historical facts, arbitrarily decides which cultural practices are Indian, and creates dangerous notions of India’s place alongside its neighbors. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/09/opinion/false-teachings-for-indias-students.html?_r=0 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Our country and our textbooks. If you do not like it you can leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnPathToSikhi Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 (edited) Our country Which one? India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan or Afghanistan? Edited October 11, 2014 by OnPathToSikhi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 For you West Punjab is fine. And when you come back hiding in shipping containers then you could ask for citizenship. And hope the Hindutva brigade shows some daya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BhagatSingh Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 His books advise students not to celebrate birthdays with cakes and candles, a practice Mr. Batra considers non-Indian. So he wants to bring back Indian culture? Cakes and candles are not Indian culture, it's a modern phenomenon. More troublingly, they instruct students to draw maps of “Akhand Bharat,” a greater India, presumably restored to its rightful boundaries, that include Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. So History lesson? India did include all those places at many points throughout history. Mr. Batra also believes that aircraft, automobiles and nuclear weapons existed in ancient India, and he wants children to learn these so-called facts. So mythological lesson? Aircraft/Vimana, Nuclear Weapons/Brahmastra, etc have been mentioned in ancient texts. This is common knowledge. A lot of people think these existed, Batra is not unique here. We know media likes to exaggerate things. Doesn't mean we have to buy their BS. If this guy was really bad, you'd have read something much much worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyhp32 Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 For you West Punjab is fine. And when you come back hiding in shipping containers then you could ask for citizenship. And hope the Hindutva brigade shows some daya. Back to the shipping container again? People do desperate things to get out if shytholes. Hindu refugees have done more extreme things to escape from Sri Lanka. They even took of their clothes when their asylum claims had been rejected and they were due to be deported to Bangladesh from where they had arrived. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/17/newsid_4162000/4162645.stm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnPathToSikhi Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 For you West Punjab is fine. And when you come back hiding in shipping containers then you could ask for citizenship. And hope the Hindutva brigade shows some daya. I asked a simple question and you already started running in different directions and have started blabbering with an un-intelligent response. All I am asking is when you say "Our country", which country are you talking about. Is it India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan or Afghanistan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnPathToSikhi Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 So he wants to bring back Indian culture? Cakes and candles are not Indian culture, it's a modern phenomenon. BhagatSingh Ji, so is the computer device that you are using. I need not elaborate more. I think you understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyhp32 Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 BhagatSingh Ji, so is the computer device that you are using. I need not elaborate more. I think you understand. Good point. Mythologies of primitive cultures have stories of aliens coming from the sky and interacting with these tribes and teaching them many things. Does that mean that these tribes can claim to have invented interplanetary spacecraft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BhagatSingh Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 BhagatSingh Ji, so is the computer device that you are using. I need not elaborate more. I think you understand. I get where you are coming from but there's a key distinction that we need to make here. Computer is a tool where the cake and candles is a ritual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnPathToSikhi Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 I get where you are coming from but there's a key distinction that we need to make here. Computer is a tool where the cake and candles is a ritual. So this Diwali there will be no use of electrical lights? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Are you going to stop celebrating Diwali and using " Singh" surname. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 After all, these are Hindustani celebrations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Rakhri you should definately celebrate for obvious reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnPathToSikhi Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Are you going to stop celebrating Diwali and using " Singh" surname. After all, these are Hindustani celebrations. Rakhri you should definately celebrate for obvious reasons. You have gone bonkers it seems. Lost so soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aksantali Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 ppl in india can't be that stupid to believe this shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 It depends on the person respectful people will get respectful answers. It's still a legit question who here will be celebrating the Hindustani festival of Diwali? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnPathToSikhi Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Our country Which one? India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan or Afghanistan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 Which one? India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan or Afghanistan? What do you think? Based on everything you've heard from me which country do you think I'm talking about. Lets play a game. a) India Pakistan c) Sri Lanka d) Tibet e) Afghanistan f) Bangladesh e) Khalistan You have phone a friend, lifeline and I can take away two answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 (edited) Are you celebrating Diwali or making a complete break with Hindustani culture? What do you think about sexual assault/rape in Amreeka? What should be done? Edited October 12, 2014 by Amandeep Hindustani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnPathToSikhi Posted October 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 What do you think? Based on everything you've heard from me which country do you think I'm talking about. Lets play a game. a) India Pakistan c) Sri Lanka d) Tibet e) Afghanistan f) Bangladesh e) Khalistan You have phone a friend, lifeline and I can take away two answers. Are you celebrating Diwali or making a complete break with Hindustani culture? What do you think about sexual assault/rape in Amreeka? What should be done? You are back to blabbering un-intelligent comments again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amandeep Hindustani Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 (edited) Asking questions that have obvious answers is sheer stupidity. Not worthy of my time. If you want to make a point then go for it. And I will respond in "simpler language." Your sheer silence on the crime epidemic in the western world baffles me. Edited October 12, 2014 by Amandeep Hindustani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyhp32 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 It depends on the person respectful people will get respectful answers. It's still a legit question who here will be celebrating the Hindustani festival of Diwali? We celebrate the release of Guru Hargobind and 52 Maharajas which happened on Diwali day. The stupidity of the Hindu is legendary so what's next genius, Sikhs worship Ram because he is mentioned in the Guru Granth Sahib? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JungChamkaur Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 Sikhs did and still many do worship Ram... Ram is Akal Purakhs previous avtaar just like the Guru Sahibaan... have you not read Gurbani? You think Guruji didnt purposely leave prison on Diwali? You think Guruji didnt know it was Diwali? Hell, they were Ram in their previous avtaar roop, of course they knew what their doing and why they did it on Diwali. Fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyhp32 Posted October 12, 2014 Report Share Posted October 12, 2014 So dumba$$ if you are right in your Hindu interpretation of Sikhism then Hindus who have not become Sikhs are fools because they have not progressed to following the next avatar and Amandeep Fudhustani is a fool to even ask the question why Sikhs celebrate Diwali. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts