Organization: Penn State University
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 11:03:57 EDT
From: Deepak Srivastava <DXS23@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Re: RSS ( Education: BJP Adopts The Nazi Model)

An article by Purnima S Tripathi  --  Times of India 20th August 92.

Quote:

Education: BJP Adopts The Nazi Model
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The uncanny resemblance between the argument forwarded by the
Uttar Pradesh government for rewriting history and reshaping
mathematics in high schools from this academic session and the
theory propounded by Hitler for remodelling the educational
system which existed in Germany after World War I, are too
close for comfort.

The BJP government feels that history needed to be rewritten
since the Aryans were not outsiders as is erroneously belie-
ved by present-day historians but natives of India. It maint-
ains, according to the state's education minister, that there
is incontrovertible historical evidence to substantiate this
claim. The government believes that the students ought to be
made aware of their glorious culture and civilisation as was
created by Aryans. It is also of the opinion that instead of
glorifying invaders (both Muslims and Christians) as was being
done so far, the text books should eulogise the deeds of heroes
belonging to their own culture and civilisation.

Same Logic

The same logic is advanced by it for introducing changes in the
mathematic syllabus. Vedic mathematics has been introduced in
high school textbooks in order to make students aware that the
theories, which form the basis of all modern mathematics, were
propounded by ancient Indian sages belonging to the Vedic period.

Hitler in his Mein Kampf had this to say about education in gen-
eral and history in particular: " A reform of particular importa-
nce is that which ought to take place in the present method of
teaching history. If politics means history in the making, then
our way of teaching history stands condemned by the way we have
conducted our politics. History must studied as a guide to the
future and to teach us what policy would be the bestto follow the
preservation of our people -- that is the real end."

He goes on to explain that students should be made aware of their
superior culture as descendents of Aryans -- the culture creating
races -- and taught the values to preserve their superiority. He
reiterates that, "it is important to write history in a way in
which the race problem will occupy a dominant position." Hitler
was also of the opinion that: "the sciences may also be made a means
of promoting a spirit of pride in the ...... Not only the history
of world but the history of civilisation as a whole must be taught
in the light of this principle....

How is the BJP argument that the way history is taught to students
is responsible for the chaotic state of affairs of our present day
politics any different from what Hitler had to say about the teac-
hing of history in his own country ? Similarly the argument for in-
troducing Vedic mathhematics sounds similar to the one given by Hit-
ler for bringing about changes in the teaching of sciences in his own
country. Not only subjects like history and sciences, but the empha-
sis put on physical education and military training by Hitler is sim-
ilar to the type of training provided at the Shakhas organised by the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Hitler was of opinion that the:
" state must organise its educational work in such a way that the
bodies of young will be systematically trained from infancy onwards
so as to be tempered and hardened for the demands to be made on them
in the later years." (Mein Kampf).

He laid similar emphasis on the military training too. Besides, Hitler
stresses that values like obedience, decipline, loyalty, discretion,
reticence, self-sacrifice, will power and habit of taking firm decision
should be inculated in the students.

Even Alfred Rosenberg, who was considered the main propogator of the
principle statement of national socialists ideology, the Nazi ideology,
finds reflection in BJP's philosophy. Expanding the race theory, Rosen-
berg in his Der Mythes des 20. Jahrhunderts (1930) writes: " all history
must be rewritten and re-interpreted in terms of struggle between races
and their characteristic ideals or more specifically as a struggle between
the Aryan or culture-creating races and the all lower breeds of mankind".

Vague Resemblance

Like the arguments provided by the BJP, Rosenberg's case for the identity
of his Aryan race has vague resemblances between styles in art, moral ide-
als and religious convictions which were largly fanciful and wholely subj-
ective. It was more a myth but once it gained currency, it was developed
as "scientific authropology" based on a will to believe and lay in the re-
gion of applied psychiatry - the art of exploiting a prejudice for ulterior
purpose. Doesn't this resemble what BJP is trying to do ?

Unquote.


regards..       Deepak

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