Hey there, history and politics students in India! How are you feeling about your syllabus and textbooks this year? Feeling a bit uneasy, are we? Well, that’s because the National Council of Educational Research and Training has decided to put a little nativist spin on things, thanks to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and their leader, Narendra Modi. Apparently, India is now a purely Hindu land, disregarding those pesky facts like the immense role of Muslim dynasts, the Mughal emperors. But don’t worry, we’re sure you’ll still get to learn all about the Taj Mahal and Humayun’s tomb. Oh wait, scratch that – chapters on the Mughals have been shortened or scrapped altogether. Fun times!
You know what else has been cut from the curriculum? The assassination of that guy, Gandhi. You might have heard of him, he’s a bit of a big deal in India. And yet, his steadfast pursuit of Hindu-Muslim unity is deemed less important than Nathuram Godse’s Brahmin caste affiliation (an important BJP constituency, you know). It also seems that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Hindutva’s paramilitary wing, being banned after Gandhi’s death is not worth mentioning. But don’t worry, you’ll still get to learn about the 2002 Gujarat riots, where over 1,000 people died. Wait, no you won’t. That’s been stripped too.
But fear not, children! The education council’s head says this is all an act of kindness, reducing “content load” for kids who have had a tough year during the pandemic. Bless their hearts. It’s just a shame that one BJP stalwart, Kapil Mishra, tweeted triumphantly that the Mughal emperors are “not in the history books, they are in the dustbin”. Hilarious, right?
And if you thought that was bad, just wait until you hear about Modi’s committee to rewrite India’s early history. No Muslims, Christians, or women allowed, obviously. Their aim? To prove Hindus are direct descendants of India’s very earliest inhabitants and that Hinduism’s ancient scriptures are not myth but fact. That’s right, folks, Hindus have apparently been around for millions of years, predating even the rest of the human species. Who knew?
All of this might seem a bit laughable, much like the image of those RSS officers strutting about in khaki shorts. But as writer Mukul Kesavan points out, it’s also extremely dangerous. Hindutva is all about a “ferocious hatred for the Other”. So while it’s a shame that students won’t be learning about India’s diversity, contestation, and accommodation, it’s even more worrying that this exclusionary creed will lead to increased persecution of non-Hindus. But hey, at least the textbooks will be a little lighter this year, right?