'Which Religion Should We Write?'

Take this lesson titled Mathamillaatha Jeevan (Jeevan, the casteless):

The headmaster asked the parents, who had come with their ward, to sit in the chairs before him, and began to fill the application form.

"What’s your name, son?"

"Jeevan"

"Good. Nice name. Father’s name?"

"Anvar Rashid."

"Mother’s name?"

"Lakshmi Devi."

The headmaster raised his head, looked at the parents and asked:

"Which religion should we write?"

"None. Write there is no religion."

"Caste?"

"The same."

The headmaster leaned back in his chair and asked a little gravely:

"What if he feels the need for a religion when he grows up?"

"Let him choose his religion when he feels so."

This is the passage that has been singled out by the Congress-led United DemocraticFront (UDF), the Church and Muslim organisations. They are demanding immediate withdrawal of the Class VII social studies book, being taught under the Keralaboard, from which this passage has been taken.

The reason? Large portions of the book, they allege, is an an attempt toteach atheism to impressionable schoolchildren. They say that such lessons andothers which illustrate caste cruelties will sow sectarian discontent.

The last week has seen pro-UDF "student activists" out on the streets,burning text-books, fighting pitched battles with the police and damaging public property.

Kerala's Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has agreed to set up an experts' committee to look intothe alleged anti-religion portions of social science textbook for seventh standardfrom which the above passage is taken, even as it has ruled out its withdrawal.

Former education minister, E.T. Mohammed Basheer has argued that the statetextbooks should uphold secularism in schools rather than create discord by offending religious sentiments.What is ironical, Kerala's education minister M.A. Baby points out, is that theemphasis of the book is religious diversity and tolerance among differentreligions. Perhaps the Congress leaders have not paid attention to the fact, hesays, that the above lesson is followed by an excerpt from Jawaharlal Nehru’sWill which stated that no religious ritual ought to be performed on hisdeath as he did not believe in any such ritual, and considered participation inthem, even as a matter of courtesy, a hypocritical act that would amount to anattempt to intimidate oneself and others.

That is not all. Quotations on religious tolerance from sources as varied asthe Mahabharata, the Bible, the Prophet and Guru Nanak are part of the impugnedlesson, Mr Baby points out, going on to argue that the contents are inconsonance with the framework prepared by the National Curriculum committee. Ifanything, he says, they are in fact much more nuanced as compared to even the textbooks prepared by the National Council for Educational Research and Training(NCERT). Clearly, the book does not teach atheism and is not anti-religion, heasserts.

But that is not cutting any ice with the UDF protesters. Another formereducation minister T.M. Jacob argues that even Mahatma Gandhi is depicted in poor light, isolated communist-led peasant uprisingshave been hyped and even such seminal milestones such as the Quit India Movementhave been given the short shrift.