Hindu scripture order prompts row

[Trisonics]

What the heck is going on in those schools? For three long hours a day even Math should not be taught to such kids !

And all the Indians here saying Bhagawad Gita is not a religious text... Good God!!! Any of you ever even read the book?

What do you think Krishna is doing explaining Arjuna all about God's manifestations and multi-births and concepts of Brahman?

This is not a phenomenon that appeared recently in 2007, it has been happening for a way long time! I can produce text books where one has to (irrespective of the student's own religion) memorize religious Hindu couplets to pass in language exams. But we never had any text books that forced us to memorize Kalmas or the Gospels, did we?

If you want to save the country oppose this stupid practice, and if you cannot, then at least do not promote it !

The point you guys are not noting is a simple fact of politics being applied to education. No holy man or Hindu priest has said the Gita must be taught, neither have the parents. If at all ...the politicians need to read the Gita to refresh their "morals". Don't read too much into it ...nothing is going to happen!

 

[President Camacho]

The point you guys are not noting is a simple fact of politics being applied to education. No holy man or Hindu priest has said the Gita must be taught, neither have the parents. If at all ...the politicians need to read the Gita to refresh their "morals". Don't read too much into it ...nothing is going to happen!

I noted it all, and noted it very well.

I won't care a $#|7 what a Hindu priest says, because a Hindu priest has absolutely no legal authority.

Whereas, this man has the top most say in the subject of debate:


Education Minister Visveswara Hegde Kageri said that those who did not want to learn the Gita should leave India.

Of course it is politics. When did I say it is not politics? Yeah it is this politics, that ruined our entire system. So are we not supposed to oppose such politics?

 

[Vassnti]

I thought India is a secular state!!!!!!

India is a secular state but not all states in India are secular.

 

[gubbi]

Education Minister Visveswara Hegde Kageri said that those who did not want to learn the Gita should leave India.

Of course it is politics. When did I say it is not politics? Yeah it is this politics, that ruined our entire system. So are we not supposed to oppose such politics?

Much ado about nothing. The Judiciary would never allow it. Period.

 

[President Camacho]

Much ado about nothing. The Judiciary would never allow it. Period.

You mean just the way the judiciary did not allow the text books of the past?

Or just the way the judiciary did not allow this practice to keep going for last four years?

In his defence, Mr Kageri said the BJP government in Karnataka neither sponsored nor funded the exercise.

He said the Gita had been taught in schools since 2007 and that some people were trying to create a controversy.

Yup... much ado about nothing.

 

[muse]

Look, lets go with principles -- We said equality before the law is at the heart of secular governance - now different religious classes for school children?? What happened to the idea that the State is silent with regard to the choice of confession and the PRIVATE promotion of confession??

That in Pakistan, some are happy that non-Muslims and Muslims have different courses to study, is a reflection of all the causes of the unjust society that Pakistan have created - the State (public funds) itself is used to promoted a particular religion (and by definition debase other religions).

Seems to me that any effort to promote any confession using public funds, is a challenge to the secular ethnic of the Indian state and it's difficult to imagine it not being challenged in the courts ---- Perhaps that's exactly what should happen, a supreme court challenge.

 

[gubbi]

You mean just the way the judiciary did not allow the text books of the past?

Or just the way the judiciary did not allow this practice to keep going for last four years?

Those text books did NOT violate any Constitutional rights of any people. If they did, the courts would have acted promptly.

BTW, I have never heard of the Bhagvad Gita being taught in schools, in its entirety. However, parts of the poem, are being taught as prose in many schools' curriculum along with stories from the Bible or Quran or even the Granth Sahib. So parts of holy books as stories and lessons in morals is nothing new.

Yup... much ado about nothing.

Atleast they are not calling to teach religions in schools unlike some developed nations and many un-developed nations. Neither is anyone proposing to substitute/replace/add unsubstantiated BS theories.
So, yup, much ado about nothing.
Yup, much ado about nothing.

 

[Vibs]

Look, lets go with principles -- We said equality before the law is at the heart of secular governance - now different religious classes for school children?? What happened to the idea that the State is silent with regard to the choice of confession and the PRIVATE promotion of confession??

That in Pakistan, some are happy that non-Muslims and Muslims have different courses to study, is a reflection of all the causes of the unjust society that Pakistan have created - the State (public funds) itself is used to promoted a particular religion (and by definition debase other religions).

Seems to me that any effort to promote any confession using public funds, is a challenge to the secular ethnic of the Indian state and it's difficult to imagine it not being challenged in the courts ---- Perhaps that's exactly what should happen, a supreme court challenge.

This is a last ditch effort of the party in a state where all it's major ministers including the CM have been charged with corruption. While the Gita is not purely a Hindu preaching book (it's actually a conversation between 2 characters in a war scenario and broad lines ethics and morals), there is absolutely no way this can be implemented legally. Even educated Hindus will not prefer compulsory classes.
However the Indian system allowed education institutions run by religious trusts (mainly Christian and Muslim) to conduct separate classes for students of such communities studying there provided they are given a preference over students of other communities. Till such system exists there will be demands like this cropping up.

 

[Kadamba]

I have read the book quite interesting, the famous quote by Oppenheimer the creator of the Atomic Bomb, "Now I become death, the destroyer of worlds" comes from the Gita, but it should not be forcibly taught to minorities, in Pakistan Islamiat is not a compulsory subject for non-Muslims.

Agree.

"We waited until the blast had passed, walked out of the shelter and then it was extremely solemn. We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita: Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him he takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. I suppose we all thought that one way or another.
-J. Robert Oppenheimer

J. Robert Oppenheimer | Media Gallery | atomicarchive.com

The quote by Oppenheimer can be linked to two slokas from the Bhagavadgita —

1)
divi suryasahasrasya
bhaved yugapad utthita |
yadi bhah sadrshi sa syad
bhasas tasya mahatmanah ||

If the light of a thousand suns were to blaze forth all at once in the sky, that might resemble the splendor of that exalted Being.
(11:12)

2)
kalo 'smi lokakshayakrt pravrddho
lokan samahartum iha pravrttah |
rte 'pi tvam na bhavishyanti sarve
ye 'vasthitah pratyanikeshu yodhah ||

Time am I, world-destroying, grown mature, engaged here in subduing the world. Even without thee (thy action), all the warriors standing arrayed in the opposing army shall cease to be.
(11:32)

 

[jayron]

What's wrong with people in Karnataka? Looks like it is moving backwards from a progressive, liberal state to a right wing, conservative state. Shameful.

 

[muse]

This is a last ditch effort of the party in a state where all it's major ministers including the CM have been charged with corruption. While the Gita is not purely a Hindu preaching book (it's actually a conversation between 2 characters in a war scenario and broad lines ethics and morals), there is absolutely no way this can be implemented legally. Even educated Hindus will not prefer compulsory classes.
However the Indian system allowed education institutions run by religious trusts (mainly Christian and Muslim) to conduct separate classes for students of such communities studying there provided they are given a preference over students of other communities. Till such system exists there will be demands like this cropping up.

Outstanding - thank you for that - it now gives context to this and it's a service to everybody because now it allows people to judge the quality of politicians -- It seems these politicians had not realized that to avoid accountability, the politician must begin dividing peoples much earlier and not after being charged with corruption.

 

[Kadamba]

Look, lets go with principles -- We said equality before the law is at the heart of secular governance - now different religious classes for school children?? What happened to the idea that the State is silent with regard to the choice of confession and the PRIVATE promotion of confession??

That in Pakistan, some are happy that non-Muslims and Muslims have different courses to study, is a reflection of all the causes of the unjust society that Pakistan have created - the State (public funds) itself is used to promoted a particular religion (and by definition debase other religions).

Seems to me that any effort to promote any confession using public funds, is a challenge to the secular ethnic of the Indian state and it's difficult to imagine it not being challenged in the courts ---- Perhaps that's exactly what should happen, a supreme court challenge.

I Agree with your thoughts .However the minister has clarified that the program is not compulsory and takes place only after school hours and no public fund has been used to support the program. On the other hand the state is using public fund to aid minority educational institutions.


'Gita' teaching sparks row in Karnataka

'Gita' teaching sparks row in Karnataka
--------------------------
Kageri insists there is no compulsion to attend the programme, that it is voluntary and the teaching would take place only after school hours.

“The government is only supporting the programme, and is nor organising or financially backing it,” Kageri has been saying.

The programme is conducted by Sri Gangadharendra Saraswati Swami of Sonda Swarnavalli ‘Math’ in Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district, about 430 km from Bangalore.

Though it has been on since 2007, the row erupted now as the programme's launch was opposed by the Students Federation of India, which is affiliated to the Communist Party of India-Marxist, in Kolar July 6.
------------------------
Asked why SFI kept quiet all these years, its state president H.R. Naveen Kumar told IANS: “We have been opposing it since it was launched in 2007. But only now it has become a major issue because our Kolar unit head was arrested on false charges and held in jail for five days.”

 

[ashokdeiva]

So students from other religion are forcibly taught Hinduism in a secular India where the supreme court rules Hinduvta is not equal to Hinduism.

You can't make up s*it like that !!! You gotta wonder what those judges were smoking !

Yup, its your incredible India.

You will not insult the judicial system of my country, They are doing a better job to make the nation a great place to live that is why they have not rejected the appel of the minorities and have asked the Government for an explanation on the proposed cariculam

 

[kingkobra]

There are many hindus who do not consider Gita as religious book...vedas are ultimate truth and only vedas are meant to followed by true vedic dharmic person..also there should be no religious teaching in schools..there are schools specially meant for religious teaching..

 

[ashokdeiva]

What the heck is going on in those schools? For three long hours a day even Math should not be taught to such kids !!

Its not 3 hrs a day, its 3 hrs a week to ensure moral development. The govenment should have given a option that these classes can be availed by the parents if they wish for their wards. and non hindus can keep to the time for some other class or probably physical education