CHENNAI: BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav does not mince words. Taking the fight to “liberals” who have presided over an “acid test” that needs to be passed by every education reform since Independence, Madhav said it should be possible, at least, to discuss a uniform set of values that could be taught in schools.
“Forget about whether to talk about the Bhagavad Gita or not. That is a secular dilemma. Why not teach values?” asked Madhav.
Madhav raised the question in a heated debate with National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah on whether the Indian education system needed to be Indianised. Chaired by the The New Indian Express’ Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, the debate revolved around the very definition of Indianisation and the need for a uniform set of values taught in educational institutions.
Beginning by stating that even debating the need for Indianisation was flawed, Madhav explained, “This should not become a point of dispute, for us or any country. But in our country, words have gained certain meanings and we look at each proposition with suspicion. We have a great secular acid test of liberals. So we must first define what we mean by Indianisation,” he said.
“The question of culture raises a number of questions, on whether it passes through that liberal acid test. Unfortunately, not many things before 1947 are accepted under that test. I represent a thought movement which believes that our entire social system and education system needs to have a very strong Indian, Bharatiya cultural foundation,” he stated.
He also contended a pan-Indian value system should come in. “What values to teach will, of course, need to be debated and discussed. We welcome that debate!” he said. But according to Madhav, even that debate has been stifled here. “When American political theorist Samuel Hendrickson put forth his proposal for a pan-American identity, there was huge debate. We need to create one value system in our society,” he asserted.
Abdullah’s impassioned rebuttal took the form of a celebration of diversity. “India,” he began, “is not America! India is united in diversity.” Education, he said, started at home first. “It was my parents whose duty it was to tell me what was right and what was wrong,” he asserted. While Abdullah also spent a lot of time addressing the decline in the respect accorded to teachers, he returned to the importance of respecting diversity. “I might not speak Tamil... but we still vibrate together. It is that form of education that we must grow,” he declared.
“You have to take into consideration what different people need — what Biharis or Punjabis or Bengalis need. Because that is the way we can move forward. Otherwise there is no hope for our future. Our future lies in unity in diversity. So long as you respect this diversity and you form an education system that respects it, we will become the greatest nation on this earth,” he said.