What is wrong with saffronisation of education system, says Vice President Naidu
“Prolonged colonial rule deprived large sections, including women of education and only a small elite class had access to formal education. It is necessary to provide quality education to all, only then can our education be inclusive and democratic,” Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday countered allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was saffronising the country’s education system and asked “what is wrong with saffron?”, as he called on Indians to give up their “colonial mindset”.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu addresses the inauguration of South Asian Institute of Peace and Reconciliation, in Haridwar, Saturday, March 19, 2022. (PTI Photo)
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Asserting that “bhartiyakaran” (Indianisation) of the education system has been the aim of the new National Education Policy, Naidu said: “But the moment you say it, some English loving and living people say we want to go back. Yes we want to go back to our roots, to know the greatness of our culture and heritage, to understand the great amount of treasure in our Vedas, our books, our scriptures… they don’t want us to know our greatness; they want us to suffer with inferiority complex… they say we are saffronising… what is wrong with saffron? I don’t understand it.”
He made the statement after inaugurating the South Asian Institute of Peace and Reconciliation at the Dev Sanskriti Vishwa Vidyalaya in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar.
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“Prolonged colonial rule deprived large sections, including women of education and only a small elite class had access to formal education. It is necessary to provide quality education to all, only then can our education be inclusive and democratic,” he added.
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“Prolonged colonial rule deprived large sections, including women of education and only a small elite class had access to formal education. It is necessary to provide quality education to all, only then can our education be inclusive and democratic,” he added.
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He further encouraged youngsters to propagate their mother tongue. “I would like to see a day in my lifetime when Indians talk to their fellow countrymen in their mother tongue, administration is run in mother tongue and all government orders are issued in people’s language,” he said. Foreign dignitaries coming to India speak in their mother tongue instead of English despite knowing it because they take pride in their language, he said.
Suryakant Dhasmana, state Congress vice president said the vice president should not have made a statement like “what is wrong with saffron” as he is on a constitutional post. “As vice president, he should not talk like a BJP leader. Such statements are not expected in the speech of the country’s vice president.”
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Talking about rising tensions in the strife-torn world, Naidu said that peace is a prerequisite for humanity’s progress. “Peace has a cascading effect—it engenders social harmony and paves the path for progress and prosperity. The ‘dividend of peace’ benefits every stakeholder and brings wealth and happiness to the society”, he said.
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.
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Home/India News/What is wrong with saffronisation of education system, says Vice Prez Naidu
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