NEW DELHI: Social sciences have been given a new twist by Mr Narendra Modi’s government in Gujarat. A Class 9 social science text book cleared by the state education department has the British leaving India because of their own weakness, and not because of the freedom movement, has Gandhi regretting the use of satyagraha, has Vasco da Gama bringing Europe to the gateway of India, has the people of India electing the President, and has held widow remarriage responsible for the increasing birth rate.
The book has been published by the Gujarat State Board of Education and uses distorted facts and figments of imagination to “educate” young minds in simply atrocious language. Sample a paragraph on youth: “It (youth) is in the age group of 10-19. Compared to children and old people, the youths need more nutrition. Malnutrition would degrade their hygiene. The food available to youths is less nutritive. Many girls suffer from blood deficiency. The youth group is a non productive part of nation. They are simply the consumers of material goods and services (sic).” This is on Page 164. The next page declares, “If every countryman becomes an ideal citizen and develops patriotism, the National Population Policy can definitely be achieved.”
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has been presiding over consistent efforts by his education department to incorporate a certain viewpoint, not always based on reality, in the school text books. Widespread protests by reputed historians and civil society organisations have fallen on deaf ears in the past with the state government insisting that there was no distortion of facts, and that the adverse reaction was prompted by simple “typographical errors”. Prashant, the Ahmedabad-based centre for human rights, justice and peace, has called for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the book.
The book claims that social science is to “see that students may have humanitarian approach (sic)” and then goes on to inform them that “in thinking of Nazism, there is coordination of nationalism and socialism (sic)”. According to the book, which will be the basis for the Class 9 examinations, “The Nazi soldiers were wearing blue dress and were adorning the symbol of Swastik (sic). They considered Hitler as their Fuhrer (Saviour) (sic).” References to every aspect of history are drawn from facts known only to the Gujarat state education board. For instance, Page 26-27 has this nugget: “There was a youth of 18 to 24 age group in Indian national and severe revolutionary movement. They used to fulfil any kind of enthusiasm and thrilling acts keeping the death under their thumb and if they are caught, they readily got themselves hanged with smiling face uttering slogan ‘inquilab zindabad’ and ‘vande mataram’ with sound piercing sky (sic).”
Communalism, with the usual linkages made between Christians and Muslims and foreigners, characterised this book as well. “The people of India were offended” because the “then Portugese Governor Albeirque inhumanity oppressed the local people with reliious rigidity for making propaganda of Christian the religion (sic),” reads a paragraph on Page 4. Then again, according to the text book, Indian Muslims were not happy as Turkey was defeated in World War I. Gandhi, of course, is not credited with freedom, but the book has him saying, “I have committed Himalayan like blunder by putting wayus and means of Satyagraha in hands of people who do not understand value of non-violence (sic).”
Prashant is working now to collect signatures on a petition for the withdrawal of the book. —By arrangement with Asian Age.
