This is an attempt to examine Gujarat state textbook. The portions of chapters in this book are given very small in size because of it I will be critically looking at three lessons. When we open the school text book of Gujarat state, as they cannot demonstrate direct into classroom so what they do is that they narrate history, nationalistic term and symbol to make students feel proud of it through these textbooks.
The English textbooks produced by Gujarat State Board of gives emphasis on national unity and richness of Indian’s cultural heritage. Each text book opens with the national pledge on the beginning page so that children learn to say early in their school lives: “I love my country and I am proud of its rich &varied heritage” it reflects the post-colonial Indian identity that it has unity in diversity in its culture, religion, linguistic variety. It tries to strengthen the national identity in children mind that India is our (one) country we should always love each other and be loyal towards the nation. As Geetha paper states ‘’in the context of Indian Nationalism, this is particularly important, since from very early times, nationalists drew upon Hindu mythology, religious symbols and feeling, to forge a sense of national unity’’
The intention behind this to indoctrinate children for the sake of national interest and development when they will grow up, they will be obedient citizen and will protect the nation. I am reminded of Althuesser’s IRS (Ideological State Apparatus) schools are tools which impart knowledge and encourage positive attitude towards the state ideology. In school teachers deliberately attempt to inculcate in their pupils an unshakable commitment and loyalty towards state through core objectives of textbook. Those children are drilled by their teachers in such tender age that do not raise the objection to the claim of ideology of state textbook, such as ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. Although children memorize this but never understand what it is meant for. As Manish Jain argues for the same in his paper that ’the curriculum, textbooks and pedagogy of civics practiced even today fails to develop conscious and active citizens. Since civics curriculum gives prime importance for the maintenance of order, following law and obeying the state, it leaves no space for questioning the structures and institutions of state’
Textbook of Social Science std. 5th lesson 1 st’ History of Village’ this chapter describes the history of the village saying that 500 years ago located at the bank of river . Dhunaji rehabilitated that village after his victory over it according to Hindu tradition. ‘‘Since then Rajput, Brahman, Patel, Koli and other people belong to other castes have been living there’’. This lesson prepares a mental image that Hindu used to very brave and victorious. If we ask children about the history of Mogal emperor they do not know. Why? The reason is simple because it is not included in their textbook except Hindu brave king. In words of Shalini Advani ‘it is easy to find out in text book ideology of bourgeois society run through all text, emphasizing social order at all cost’.
Next chapter7 in the same book,(page 17) Eklavya” which describes that students should learn the basic values of Indian culture .This story suggests that in Indian culture Guru’s place is considered to be very high . This lesson reminds me similar instance as Pratima Kale in her article defines ‘the set of attitude, values and expectations associated with the teacher is symbolized in the Indian tradition by word ‘Guru’ ’ She says that Guru was a Brahmana and his students were a selective group drawn from the Brahamana, Kshatriya and Vaisya families. This way this lesson invites a lot criticism. One can say that Eklavya was discriminated by his Guru(Drona) on basis of caste. Being born in a lower caste, Eklavya was refused by Drona to teach him archery. Lower castes were supposed to do only manual labor and mental labor for upper caste. It is obvious that at time education was considered only to get upper caste and it was under control of Brahman cal hegemony. After all when he became an expert of archer then Drona orders him to give his right thumb as Guru-Dashing. Drona deliberately did so that Eklavya can never do practice. This presents the indigenous tradition of India Varna system of caste that was in practice. Now, time has changed and education is considered necessary for all citizens which play a vital role in a development of nation. But one may ask that can Hindus constitute a nation, when they cannot nurture fellow-feeling beyond the boundaries of their respective castes? The simple answer is likely to be never.
Social Sciences standards 6th lesson11, (page 48) Rights and Duties”, which describes students to know their right and duties as citizens. This lesson mentions that” an ideal citizen is one who follow the rules and regulations of our country prevents those who harms the welfare of country, and do not act to ruin the pride of the country” , this is a process of inculcation of duty to respect the national symbols, (mark of the nation, stand, salute the national flag& sing national anthem and national song Vanda Mata ram right from the childhood. Rubin Saigon’s article rightly points that creating critical, agency oriented citizenship but a confirming the submissive citizenship in which the state has all rights and citizen all the duties. Manish join’s paper also noticed that The figure of 'citizen' was also shaped by the nationalist struggle against the colonial power and the subsequent transformation of the nationalist project into post-colonial agendas of power and domination’
Let us move now, Social science standard7(page 49)chapter entitle ‘Great Revolutionaries of India’. This chapter describes history such as the freedom struggle and national leaders. The students watch picture about the important people involved in the revolutionary activities of the Indian independence movement through the bioscope on the occasion of the Martyr’s Day. The class teacher starts the bioscope picture after imparting the revolutionary slogan:
‘’ Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna ,Ab hamare dil mein hai,
Dekhana hai jor kitna Baju-e-katil mein hai. ‘’
Bismil
After that the teacher tells students to remember courageous people who had laid down their lives and become martyr then there are many chapters in Gujarat text book have been provided for patriots, social reformers with their movement which glorifies the national heroism and asserts grandeur of national-hood.
At the same time there were others we were overlooked belonging to backward castes and have been excluded from the Social Sciences of Gujarat textbook such as Perior , Jyotiba Phule ,Savitribai Phule, Birsa Munda.
If we look at critically this iconic representation of images on the home page of the text book, which belonging to the particular ideological group. Today, the story of reform movements of the early 20th century clearly shows has become fashion for textbook. This textbook poses the question of how these images of male social reformers, political leaders and revolutionaries have attained and produced different meaning-secular, religious and political in the society. This iconic value of the image and its cultural effects depends on the person to person who is seeing it. In this way, it can be said that giving over a period of time images of social, religious, political reformers and revolutionaries have transformed these into icons of veneration through adopting the semiotic paraphernalia of deified ‘Great Leader’.
To sum up,
In order to bring the conclusion to an end,let me encapsulate the thing what I said above. As we have gone through Gujarat state textbooks, which apparently shows National Pledge as unity in diversity and nation values, ‘History of village’ as saffron agenda, ‘Eklavya’ as Brahmanical hegemony, ‘Rights and Duties’ as national citizenship and loyalty towards state. ‘The Great Revolutionaries’ as iconization of images with particular group ideology. Given the current political conjuncture, saffron agenda , when national ideals have been rendered contentious, the teaching of nationalism assumes certain urgency and exclusion of Dalit and female role is dire need of public debate. There appears a haste to defend the ‘right’ sort of Nationalism from the ‘Hindutva’ variety.
. REFERENCES
Pratima kale (1970) The Guru and The Professional: The dilemma of the Secondary School Teacher in Poona ,India in Comparative Education Review,Vol.14,No.3 (Oct. 1970) pp. 371-376.
Louis Althusser; Lenin and Philosophy and others Essays, Monthly Review Press 1971
Young, M. [1971]. An Approach to the Study of Curricula as Socially Organised Knowledge,, London: Coller Macmillan Pub.
Acharya,Poromesh(1996) Indigenous Education and Brahminical Hegimony in Bengal in Nigel Crook (ed) The Transmission of Knowledge in South Asia,OUP,London pp.99-117.
Acharya,Poromesh ,Education: Politics and Social structure, inR.Ghosh and M.Zachariach(eds), Education and the Process of Change, New Delhi: Sage,pp.65-79.
Acharya,Poromesh: Politics of Primary education in West Bengal: The case of Sahaj Path, Economic and Political Weekly,June 13,pp.1069-75.
Rubin saigol; His Rights/HerDuties: citizen and Mother in the Civics Discourse.in R.Saigol,R. Symb0olic Violence: Curriculum Padagogy and Society, Lahore: SAHE.
Shalini Advani; Educating the National Imagination ,Economic and Political Weekly, August 3.
Sudipta kaviraj; (1998).The Modern state in India,In Doornbos and Kaviraj (edit). Dynamics of State Formation: Europe and India Compared, London: Sage.
Goethe; English History of the India National Movement
Manish Jain; Evolution of Civics and Citizen in India
Paper presented at the South Asian Conference on Education, Department of Education, University of Delhi, 14-18 November, 1999.
http://www.tasveerghar.net/2007/Sujithkumar Parayil( Associate Professor in aCulture and Media Study) at T.I.S.S ,Mumbai
