Saffron brigade suffers setback in far off California, fails to convince officials caste is "not part of" Hindu culture

A demonstration for keeping caste out of curriculum

By A Representative
If in India the ruling BJP and the Hindutva brigade may have succeeded in inserting in their saffron agenda in textbooks, in far off California, they have suffered a major setback. "The New York Times" reports, the American Hindu Foundation, known to be a protagonist of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has failed to convince California's education officials that caste system is alien to Indian history and culture.
Hindutva advocates, the daily reports, argued that the grades six and seven curriculum puts "too much emphasis on the caste system", adding, "It leaves Indian students vulnerable to bullying in schools. Dozens of students told committee members that they were taunted after learning about castes in school."
"But activists for the Dalits, members of the 'untouchable' caste, said that glossing over the caste system would do little to protect students and would be an inaccurate portrayal of India", the daily points out.
“Whether we like our history or not for any particular reason, we have to stick with the facts,” the daily quotes Risha Krishna, one of the Dalit protagonists in a discussion on what the curriculum should be like, as saying. Risha sharply criticises those who tried to project castes groups as having autonomous powers to decide how they would function, pointing out, this is just not true, and caste does not offer autonomy, but it is in fact a top down system.
The daily reports, a discussion on the subject, in which about 200 individuals participated, touched on the manner in which "the culture of the region is portrayed, including women’s role in society and the vestiges of the caste system." Based on this discussion, California officials, had to "deal with a fight that mirrors similar arguments being made in India, where Hindu nationalist governments have begun overhauls of textbooks in some states."
It adds, one side were advocates from the Hindu American Foundation, which seeks to shape the image of Hinduism in the United States. They wanted "the caste system to be explained as a phenomenon of the region, not as a Hindu practice — an idea that is not universally accepted in India."
On the other hand, another group challenged the historical accuracy of this view. It said, the foundation was "trying to sanitize history by wiping out any link between Hinduism and castes."
Quoting the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank, the daily says, there are roughly 2.2 million immigrants from India live in the US. California, with its vibrant technology industry, has attracted a big chunk, with the the Hindu Foundation claiming, nearly half of them live in California.
It wasn't caste alone that the Hindu Foundation wanted to abandon, the daily says. Instead of a reference to “Early Civilizations of India”, it wanted “Early Civilizations of South Asia.” And, instead of learning about “ancient societies in India”, the Hindu Foundation wanted children to know “learn about ancient societies in South Asia.”

Comments

Anonymous said…

http://roundtableindia.co.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8616%3Ain-search-of-a-house-to-rent-untouchability-and-humiliation-i-experienced-today&catid=119%3Afeature&Itemid=132

May 22, 2016

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Beneath the stone: Revisiting the New Jersey mandir controversy

By Rajiv Shah A recent report published in the British media outlet The Guardian , titled “Workers carved the largest modern Hindu temple in the west. Now, some have incurable lung disease,” took me back to my visits to the New Jersey mandir —first in 2022, when it was still under construction, though parts of it were open to visitors, and again in 2024, after its completion.

Civil society flags widespread violations of land acquisition Act before Parliamentary panel

By Jag Jivan Civil society organisations and stakeholders from across India have presented stark evidence before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj , alleging systemic violations of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013 , particularly in Scheduled Areas and tribal regions.

Ecologist Dr. S. Faizi urges UN intervention to save 35 million Gulf migrants

By A Representative Renowned ecologist and veteran United Nations negotiator Dr. S. Faizi has issued an urgent appeal to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, calling for immediate diplomatic intervention to halt escalating conflict in the Persian Gulf. In a formal letter copied to several UN missions, Faizi warned that the lives and livelihoods of 35 million migrant workers—who comprise the vast majority of the population in many Gulf cities—are facing an unprecedented existential crisis.

Search This Blog