Are young students fit enough to learn Gita?

GN Bureau | August 5, 2013



The Madhya Pradesh government has some noble plans for the children of the state. Kids will do Surya Namaskar, read RSS-affiliated Devputra and also learn Bhagvad Gita. The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is so considerate towards the students from the minorities who cannot be expected to be well-versed in the Sanskrit language that a special arrangement is made for them: they will be taught the scripture – which a court has held as philosophical rather than religious – in English and Urdu.

Also read: Gita for dummies: Or the difference between religious politics and communal politics

One response to this scheme of things is the question of equality of all religions: Why not teach the Bible and other scriptures too? Another, more pertinent, question is: Is a class 1 or class 2 student capable of understanding the subtleties of the Gita? The next question would be: Are those behind this decision leading their lives by the Gita?

Comments

 

Other News

Changing weather patterns, climate change responsible for Nepal floods

The interaction between active Western Disturbances, increased atmospheric moisture and the region’s complex topography aswell as global warming are important factors behind intense rainfall in the Himalayas, leading to flash floods in Nepal, according to meteorologists. Nepal

A right she cannot reach

Last summer, the two of us spent several weeks in rural Madhya Pradesh with a non-profit that works on gender justice through women’s self-help groups. We went in with a notebook full of laws. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. The Dowry Prohibition Act. Free legal aid for every wo

Tier-2 cities lead India’s digital credit push

Digital payments have become a reflex for urban India, but the confidence earned in paying has not yet carried over to borrowing. That is the central finding of `How Urban India Pays Report 2026`, released by Pahlé India Foundation in collaboration with Amazon Pay. Based on a survey of 5,149 consu

India calls for doubling bilateral trade with UK by 2030

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has called upon businesses in India and the United Kingdom to translate the opportunities created by the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into expanded trade, investment, partnerships and job creation. Addressing the Bu

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter