Libraries of over 13,000 govt schools in Raj to have Gita

Critics are reading the move together with the state government’s recent revision of school curriculum, which is being criticised as an overt attempt at “saffronisation”

More than 13,000 government schools in Rajasthan will now stock up their library with Bhagavad Gita, a holy book of the Hindus.

Bhagavad Gita will be made available in 13,401 schools across the state. ((Photo courtesy: Wiki Commons))

This follows the decision of another Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state, Haryana, to introduce lessons from Gita and spiritual texts in government schools as part of the new moral education curriculum.

Critics are reading the move together with the state government’s recent revision of school curriculum, which is being criticised as an overt attempt at “saffronisation”. In the revised textbooks, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has been reduced to footnotes in chapters in the social science textbooks for sixth, seven and eighth classes. Also missing is the part of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination by Nathuram Godse.

In December last year, education minister Vasudev Devnani announced the government will provide copies of the Bhagwad Gita to all higher secondary school libraries run by the state. He was speaking at a state function to mark Gita Jayanti, a day celebrating the discourse of Lord Krishna.

“A Mumbai-based trust gave a proposal to provide the holy book in schools, which was accepted and now the Bhagavad Gita will be made available in 13,401 schools across the state,” said Sunita Chawala, the assistant director of the education department.

(With PTI inputs)