Indian advocacy groups battle each other to determine how Hinduism is presented in California’s textbooks.
NEW YORK: California reviews its textbooks every six years and public opinion is invited for the purpose. But the Golden State got more than it bargained for in the latest edition of this exercise after Indian Americans demanded controversial changes to the history and social studies textbooks used in the sixth grade.
In the latest twist to the year-long saga, the Superior Court of California rejected demands by a right-wing organisation called the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) for a preliminary injunction against the publication of the new books.
The textbooks, which are still a work in progress but are expected to be on student desks by autumn, have devoted 60 pages to ancient Indian history, the same as to ancient China and Egypt.
The bone of contention is the rendition in the books of issues such as the caste system, the plight of the Dalits and discrimination against women. HAF and other right-wing Hindu groups maintain that these topics do not belong in a sixth-grade introduction to world civilisations.
The court’s decision, delivered in Sacramento on April 21, has been hailed by several South Asian-American groups, as well as professors from Stanford, the University of California and other college campuses, who have
challenged efforts by HAF to influence textbooks in the state.
“This means that the California State Board of Education can proceed with the approval process for publication of the new history textbooks, whether or not HAF withdraws its lawsuit,” said Anu Mandavilli of Friends of South Asia, which is spearheading the secular California textbook campaign with six other Indian groups.
“The Hindu Education Foundation and the Vedic Foundation, with the support of HAF, had submitted a series of egregious edits [to the textbooks],” Mandavilli added.
“They claimed to speak for the Hindu community, but they do not speak for everyone. People are tired of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its hateful agenda.”
HAF has argued before the education board that Indian-American children are embarrassed by a warts-and-all depiction of Hinduism in ancient India. This week, it reaffirmed its commitment to continue legal action to overturn the decision.
“Hindus are merely seeking parity with other religions in sixth-grade textbooks, where social problems of other religions are not given the same prominence, even as the redeeming features of Hinduism are ignored,” Ishani Chowdhury, executive director of HAF, said in a statement.
But that argument does not wash with many academicians. “We have been greatly concerned over claims that an equitable portrayals should prevail over historical accuracy,” Lawrence Cohen of the University of California-Berkeley was quoted as saying. “That is a slippery slope.”
“History is not meant to make you feel better,” said Mandavilli, adding that the inferior status of women and Dalits should not be glossed over because it is uncomfortable. “Hindu groups want to deny the reality of caste discrimination by deleting the very word Dalit from history books. You can’t distort facts and whitewash history.”
The textbook furore is far from, what with HAF and its allies still on the warpath. But for now at least the state education board has retained descriptions of, among other touchy subjects, India’s caste system, the role of women in the country’s society, the Aryan migration history and polytheism in ancient Hinduism.
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