Textbooks have been a fundamental part of our lives. Ever since students are given their first one, they are told to treat it as no less than a gift from heaven. Our schools are temples and the textbooks sacrosanct. Because of this, we trust our books blindly.
Remember Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, when Hermione goes back in time and saves Sirius ? Something similar has been happening right under our noses all these years, except we are not being saved. The people in power are brainwashing us.
My History teacher once said that meddling with history is one of the worst crimes that one could commit. But think about this- How convenient would it be for the ones in power to force their opinions on people without causing much havoc or controversy, by simply tweaking the information in textbooks?
As per the analysis of 25 textbooks by the Indian Express newspaper in 2018, it was found that there have been newly inserted paragraphs which depict the many policies made by the current government on the greener side of the lawn. This includes the programs such as “demonetization”, a policy which wiped out more than 85 percent of India’s cash and caused much loss to citizens across the country. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, History is defined as “the study or record of past events and facts considered together, especially the events of a particular period, country or subject”. Here, note the use of the words- events and facts, and not the word -opinions. History allows us to look into the events of the past and draw learnings from them. We can then proceed to form our own conclusions. In the present scenario, we are refrained from do so. Our country calls itself a democracy, but are we truly democratic if we are forced to consume other people’s opinions as hardcore facts?
In August of 2014, the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) forged a committee known as the Bhartiya Siksha Niti Aayog to ‘Indianize’ and ‘reform’ the education system of our country. One such ‘reform’ stressed upon curtailing the role of Jawaharlal Nehru in the freedom struggle. He was the President of the Indian National congress, and the first Prime minister of our country.
The education minister of Rajasthan, Mr. Vasudev Devnani, mentioned that he wanted to minimize the role of Akbar and include the heroics of Maharana Pratap. While it is absolutely appropriate to add chapters on Maharana Pratap and other such Hindu rulers, it should not minimize the role of rulers of other religious backgrounds. Throughout its history, India has seen its share of brilliant yet tyrannical leaders. History is unbiased, in contrast to the people who have shaped it. It deserves to be shown in a light that reflects its brightest days and its darkest nights. Any ruler who has contributed towards shaping our history deserves to be learnt about, irrespective of the God they worship. But in this era, our governments are running factories where they catch us young, feed us adulterated facts, and manufacture us into citizens who live, breathe and spew their propoganda.
According to a survey conducted by the Indian Express in 2018, between 2014 and 2018, 1334 changes were made to 182 textbooks put out by the NCERT between 2005 and 2009.
For many years, the ruling parties have tried to change the curriculum to fit their ideologies and to glorify their version of History. They meddle with the past by promoting people who match their ideas and religion while erasing certain others, which end results in ill informed citizens , and reinforces the very ‘Divide and Rule’ strategy which our country had struggled to remove.
Why is it that this issue of brainwashing has always been under the radar but has never been highlighted as much as the debate on Kangana Ranaut’s tweets? In an interview conducted by the Indian Express in 2017, many teachers did not care for the changes in the syllabus. One teacher even went as far as to say that at the end of day, the children are just going to mug up the information and forget it after the exam.
As citizens of this country, we simply sit and consume what is given to us on a seemingly silver platter. As individuals who can think critically, we must learn to detect the fine line between truth, and a painted reality. The governance in our country is such that the body of power is elected by the people, and is answerable to the people. But what if the people stop holding them accountable? What if the people stop thinking ?
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