There is this latest controversy in Kerela on a 7th standard school text book as reported by The Telegraph
For the past one week, pro-UDF student activists have been out on the streets, attacking the police, burning textbooks and damaging public property. Arrested leaders of the Kerala Student Union have launched a fast in jail.
The Church, the Muslim League and the Nair Service Society allege that large portions of the book betray an attempt to instil atheism into schoolchildren’s minds. They also claim that the book, which cites caste cruelties, will sow sectarian discontent.
At the heart of the controversy lies a chapter titled “No Religion for Jeevan”, which advises children not to enter their religion in school registers. It describes how an inter-caste couple, while enrolling their child at school, insist that the columns against religion and caste be left blank.
Every body is protesting against the book because it is preaching atheism and that children if inflected with such ideas would grow up with no values. Right so to have good values you must have a religion. How silly is that.
Can’t say about the whole book, but I don’t see anything wrong with the chapter. It makes perfect sense to have an option “no religion” in official documents. Religion should be a matter of personal faith and lifestyle. We need not be public about it.
I also don’t know how come it is ok for parents to force a religion on children but its not ok to give them another option.
Religion is forced upon us from the time when we are just few months old, loads of customs like naam karans mundans etc. Bongs hav this thing called annaprashan..where a 6 month baby is all dressed up like a bride/groom and fed with a grand lunch.
Kids hardly have learnt to walk and they are taken to places of worship and are taught by parents how to worship.
So forcing a religion upon a child is ok? And giving them another outlook, a possibility of a life without religion is not ok? Let them learn about atheism too and then let them decide…coz hey atheism is a religion too you know. Like I am religiously non religious.
To answer a few questions some one raised about he legal angle. Hardly any of you here would know about Indian personal laws which actually allows an individual to not have any religion at all.
As per law, a child of inter religion marriages is said to have the religion according to which he have been brought up. If the parents get married under Special Marriage Act and if they are not religious people which means they never took their child to a place of worship never followed any religious customs at all the child would actually grow up to be someone not having any particular religion. And matters related to inheritance / property etc would be governed by Indian Succession Act and not by any personal law.
As an adult he/she can then decided which religion to follow or may even continue to be a non religions person governed by the civil law of the land instead of any personal law whatsover.
I have written about this in a post of mine here https://sanjukta.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/atheism-law-and-marriage/
This Is My Truth 
On the issue in Kerala-
Suggest going through http://www.keralatips.org/2008/06/26/more-on-the-seventh-standard-textbook/ and his earlier post on the same issue to get a better picture.
Also, http://tvmtalkies.com/archives/474
and http://tvmrising.blogspot.com/2008/06/storm-in-teacuperrrtextbook.html
On the argument if religion is imposed on us-
That is how it is.Parents impose something or the other on kids.Be it religion,culture,citizenship.
As adults,one can change any of these. No one will object, rite?
You asked if forcing a religion on a child is okay-so,what is the solution? Parents would go to a temple/church and leave the kids at home?
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I really appreciate the board of education to pass this chapter in the book. Gives me faith in the system once again. Being a product of an inter-religion marriage I was often confused with this column as to what I should enter until I made a decision to write “Indian” on one form. Nobody questioned me. Thereafter I chose to leave it either blank or write Indian. Who would question my Indianism.
However it may be because my parents never forced any religion on me and I was taught to respect all religions and castes. I asked my mom once Am I a hindu or christian? She replied I am a human being so try to be a good one.
@Nikhil : No, the solution is not to leave your kids at home but to take them to all religious places and leave them with a choice to choose. Would someone stop you for that? Every religious place is not Guruvayoor Temple my friend.
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@Seema
Frankly your suggestions seem funny to me.
I can NEVER expect my parents to take me to a Church,Mosque and a Temple and say, “Ok, mone..now you decide your religion”.
I have been to churches,mosques and in school we had a Hanuman Temple(school was in a cantonment and the temple was inside the school premises) and used to go there on all exam days with my Christian friends.(jus unrelated fyi)
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I went through the text book(all chapters,cover to cover) and here are my comments:
Having an excerpt from AK Gopalan’s (auto)biography is not expected. He is a well known communist leader of yester years. This is like bombarding commie thoughts in class 7.
The style in which “Kudiyozhippikkal” and Karivellur Samaram are introduced indeed has a commie angle.
Too much stress on Land Reforms, unwanted.
Would a 7th standard kid understand Smt KR Gouriamma’s response to a bill, as told in the assembly?? Why are they doing this?
Pages on Human Devlopment Indices of Kerala, good, acceptable.
I don’t understand-what is being taught? Time line of the social changes?
Why is there an excerpt on how lower caste women used to have food left over by Antarjanams(Namboodiri Brahmin women)??? What are the commies trying to convey?
Channar Revolt-unwanted , again selling commie ideology.
Vaikom and Guruvayoor Satyagrahams-These should have been the ONLY one to be included in the text book, rather worth including.
Pratyaksha Rakshasabha-why get into every single point of social equality.
Wouldn’t the mention of Vaikom or Guruvayur be enough?
Same with the mention of Muslim Ikyasangham.
After going through all these portions, a 7th standard kid reaches a chapter that says, say no not only to caste, but religion. Should these things be taught in school, that too at this level?
Having the lines from all holy books-accepted.
But, I still haven’t understood the relevance of a question that asks which religion would be affected the max by inflation, water scarcity, contagious diseases and earthquake..!!!
May be they wanted the answer, people of all religions would be affected. sigh!
Chapter 3
Iniyum Muttott-the mention of Palm Oil rates was unwanted, rest accepted.
The next page that mentions a “rich guy” who says he will do whatever with his land while a passerby comments why are people protesting? These two kinds of people are painted a shade of ENEMY;yes, the commies what more jobless people for DYFI , SFI whatever.
The text says, “As discussed in a class, these were the meanings of Freedom”; instead this should have been an open discussion in every class. Shouldn’t that been a better way to do it rather than already having 4 meanings for freedom.
Parts of the British coming in-well, good! But comparing it with today’s situation? Do they expect an answer of the lines of communism?? Please, gimme a break!!!
Parts on Bhagat Singh and other revolutionaries-acceptable.
Throwing light on the revolt of 1857, Jalianwalla Bagh massacare-yes, much needed at this level. If not in class 7, when?
Other parts on Indian History like pages on Khilafat,Dandi Satyagraha,Quit India-acceptable.
This chapter ends with a note to start a discussion on Land grabbing, caste/gender based discrimination, accumulation of wealth–is this an NDTV debate?
News clippings on Forest Guards/Excise attacked,or Sand/Liqour mafia attacking people-UNWANTED.
Then why not include DYFI/SFI vandalising,killing people in Kannur??? HUH!
Asking the students to compare the British discipline to India’s prgress(ie Mukesh Ambani’s wealth)-Weird, useless
Portion on length of day/night-acceptable.
Other geography portions, parts on civilizations and the rest of the book seem fine to me.
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@Sanjukta
Kerala and not Kerela :)
Sorry to spam you comments.
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@Nikil: and why was my suggestion funny. I never said that take your kids to each place and then “tell them” to choose. like mone ethu icecream venam?
The idea was to educate your kids about each religion rather than laying stress on one particular one. Let the choice be theirs rather than you telling them to choose.
Now about the book I have not read it personally but if what you are saying is true then contents are totally uncalled for, especially for a 7th grader. Why does every Government try to bring in their own ideologies into textbooks for Kids?
Sanjukta : that reminds me.. AK Gopalan’s case was the very first one in our constitutional law subject.. Remember?
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@seema
You can’t expect parents to know about other religions. How would this education on all religions happen then?
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Unfortunately in India, we only have extremes – on the one hand are the religious fanatics whose strategy is to intimidate everyone into submission and on the other hand are the commies masquerading as atheists who inflict society with their own form of hatred.
Real atheism has nothing to do with text books or education. Children do not need to be educated about atheism. They need to be educated about a scientific outlook. Atheism would just be *one* of the positive outcomes of such an approach.
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True!
there must be an option for no religion .But that chapter seems to have nothing related to atheism .It is all about making the children open to accept the good values of all the religions. It was clear from some of the TV programs that interviewed the students. The comments made by them was really ‘amazing’
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Don’t mix culture & religion. Of course in most of the cases the separating line is almost blurred. For example , Sanjukta has written –
“Religion is forced upon us from the time when we are just few months old, loads of customs like naam karans mundans etc. Bongs hav this thing called annaprashan..where a 6 month baby is all dressed up like a bride/groom and fed with a grand lunch.”
It’s mostly culture with little bit of numbo jumbo. Don’t forget about the feast, which follows the function.
In India, religion is so intermingled into our day to day existence, it’s really difficult to start as an atheist. As parents can wait till you become mature enough to decide what to study, they simply initiate you into something they believe to be true. Even if you think, it is forced on you, you can very well switch over to anything that suits you, a great believer, agnostic or an atheist.
[One more point! Had not been my parents done so, what I would have done before my math exams?? Because I am pretty sure, it’s goddess Saraswati who has get me through my math exams]
Sanjukta has written –
“As an adult he/she can then decided which religion to follow or may even continue to be a non religions person governed by the civil law of the land instead of any personal law whatsover.”
Just one problem here, how you DECIDE ? Religion is such a complex and multidimensional domain, deciding and coming to a conclusion is not so simple. People have spend life time to understand it and there are innumerable examples, where people started as an atheist changed into a believer.
My conclusion is, why to bother much? Now you are grown up enough ( and not to face any more exams), just choose what you think is true. Even can be brave enough to be an atheist.
Just a little bit of Gyan at the end. For a Hindu it’s Dharma not religion. Dharma and religion are not the same thing. Dharma is some thing which holds. Water has Dharma but no religion. For me it’s a way of living, a way of conduct. The question is what are the reference points? Ok if you are too religious, you may follow what is given in the scriptures, if you are an atheist you can make your own rules beyond some which are universal and final. Like be honest, be truthful.. etc etc. So I am happy to be a person having strong sense of Dharma ( how far I am successful in following them is a different question)
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Chetan Crasta@ sorry! I am writing again because you are wrong and I am tired of the syndrome “Unfortunately in India…”.
Scientific Outlook has nothing to do with believe. It is true that scientists are less religious than the general population, but studies have shown that it is nothing to do with their training in science ( I assume that, that training has given them enough scientific outlook). Belief depends on other attributes. Ecklund and Scheitle who did the study concluded that the assumption that becoming a scientist (here again I am assuming scientists have enough scientific outlook) necessarily leads to loss of religion is untenable. Another interesting finding of the study is that younger scientists are more likely to believe in God than older scientists, and more likely to report attending religious services over the past year. You can read more about this at http://www.buffalo.edu/news/8732
I would quote from an article by Albert Einstein published in New York Times on November 9, 1930.
“On the other hand, I maintain that the cosmic religious feeling is the strongest and noblest motive for scientific research. Only those who realize the immense efforts and, above all, the devotion without which pioneer work in theoretical science cannot be achieved are able to grasp the strength of the emotion out of which alone such work, remote as it is from the immediate realities of life, can issue. What a deep conviction of the rationality of the universe and what a yearning to understand, were it but a feeble reflection of the mind revealed in this world, Kepler and Newton must have had to enable them to spend years of solitary labor in disentangling the principles of celestial mechanics! Those whose acquaintance with scientific research is derived chiefly from its practical results easily develop a completely false notion of the mentality of the men who, surrounded by a sceptical world, have shown the way to kindred spirits scattered wide through the world and through the centuries. Only one who has devoted his life to similar ends can have a vivid realization of what has inspired these men and given them the strength to remain true to their purpose in spite of countless failures. It is cosmic religious feeling that gives a man such strength. A contemporary has said, not unjustly, that in this materialistic age of ours the serious scientific workers are the only profoundly religious people.”
The article and other views of Einstein on religion is available here http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/einsci.htm
So we should rather concerned about fundamentalism of religion not the religion it self. (Am I sounding like a long bearded sadhu in trance at some caves of the Himalayas?)
I wrote this because in my opinion (very humble) religion or for that matter atheism are too complex a matter to be shrugged off as unscientific outlook. Sorry! This post is off the track of the serious issue that Sanjukta has raised.
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Dibakar, thanks for the interesting links and specially Einstein’s views. I agree with you that religion or non religion are too complex matters. I also believe that while a believer can’t prove God does exist, an athiest can’t prove God definately doesn’t exist, in that sense a non believer is indeed a believer of the non-existence.
I don’t know about other atheists but when I chose to call myself an atheist I do that at a level of state politics. I am against the idea of religion being the source of state’s law, against political parties with religious agenda etc. I find it very disturbing when religion becomes the cause of bloodshed.
The world is for people, by the people and of the people…I just cannot understand how come anything that I cannot see hear or feel should govern my life and decide wht is right and wrong for me..
I am also going off track I think
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one more thing, people trained in science will have a scientific outlook towards life is the biggest farce. Believing a non existent non physical entity to be superior than everything else has got nothing to do with scientific training. It is about your faith in your own self v. your faith in another self. Anybody with extreme confidence in ownself wud never accept another superior being as his master or God as you call it
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>Anybody with extreme confidence in ownself wud never accept another superior being as his master or God as you call it
Sorry! I am not that confident and top of it I don’t consider God as my master. Ok I would try to give an example, Sun is the source of energy for all living things. All our actions are dependent on that energy. Is sun my master? No! Rather I am thankful to the Sun for being so kind. I think it sounds like ‘Prabachan’. So no more.
>I just cannot understand how come anything that I cannot see hear or feel should govern my life and decide what is right and wrong for me..
We can’t see so many things (like government or society) but that governs our lives. Another example would be the ‘Market force’. We can’t see it, but it determines what we should eat, wear and what we should watch although we continue thinking that we are free to make decision.
>I am against the idea of religion being the source of state’s law, against political parties with religious agenda etc. I find it very disturbing when religion becomes the cause of bloodshed.
You are right.
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Atheism may well be spurred on by the refusal of religions to engage in self-criticism. I’ve just read http://deligentia.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/263/ on how foreign self-criticism is to religion, and, moreover, how religion misunderstands itself. You might be interested in it.
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