Guest guest Posted December 15, 2000 Report Share Posted December 15, 2000 >"Rajiv Malhotra" <Rajiv.malhotra ><Rajiv.malhotra >Ramayana-bashing in American schools - Status >Wed, 13 Dec 2000 13:13:34 -0500 > >Our US Congressman, who is a member of the India Caucus and will be part of >the Congressional delegation visiting India in early January, spent >considerable time with me today specifically on the Ramayana portrayal by >Professor Susan Wadley. (Below is a copy of what we had mailed earlier to >Washington.) > >The Congressman said that he was appalled at the inflammatory approach in >the Ramayana material, and was especially concerned that it was done under >Federal grant money as that could give it the aura of governmental stamp of >approval. While there is the First Amendment of the Constitution giving >freedom of speech, it is not the job of the Federal Government to spend the >taxpayer's money in support of what is essentially hate speech. He also >felt >that the standard in case of school material should be at a higher level of >sensitivity towards minority communities in America, of which the Hindus >are >one. > >He promised to write to Washington supporting our position, and will also >explore a way to get us in contact with the relevant authorities to >participate in future grants of this kind. Lets keep our fingers crossed. >Nothing will happen quickly or easily. > >Rajiv > > >The Educational Council on Indic Traditions >53 White Oak Drive >Princeton, NJ 08540. >Phone: (609) 683-0548. Email: dbgray64 > >December 1st 2000. > >The National Endowment for the Humanities >1100 Pennsylvania Ave, NW >Washington DC 20506 > >Dear NEH Members, > > We bring to your notice Prof. Susan Wadley's work emerging from two >National Endowment for the Humanities grants (1994 and 1997) received by >her >to train high school teachers to teach the Indian epic Ramayana to American >students. Besides India, Ramayana is also the sacred epic of Thailand, >Indonesia and many other parts of Asia. While the project generated some >interesting and useful course material, it also included what are clearly >partisan and political readings of the epic, as well as outright >inflammatory 'cheap shots' at a sacred text. > > This complaint is on behalf of United States citizens. Ramayana and >Hinduism are no longer merely about a far away exotic land that Americans >have little to do with. We have Hindus right here in our classrooms today, >amongst our office co-workers and as our neighbors. It is irresponsible for >any multicultural school to introduce material where a made up protest song >against Hindus includes hate speech alleging that "Muslims were targeted", >or that certain people are "enslaved to form a monkey army" with the >purported intention to "attack Muslims". What does this do for integration >in America's sensitive tapestry where the students in class include members >of the various communities depicted in this denigrating manner? Should >Government funds be used to create such racially and religiously >inflammatory teaching materials, ironically in the name of >multiculturalism? > > We understand that academic freedom, and the freedom of speech, >allows >us all in this country to espouse ideas that may be unpalatable to some. >These ideas could be politically or culturally biased or even prejudiced. >However, such bias about others' religions and religious ideals, others' >sacred texts and spirituality, when it is presented to high school students >by non-experts (high school teachers) would lead to a warped understanding >of others' history and religions and to unintended consequences, including >stereotyping and hatred of minority groups. > > The particular version of the Ramayana that Prof. Wadley includes in >the lesson plans, and which she says is her favorite version of the many >songs on the God-king Rama and the Ramayana is a "song" whose author we >don't know, and which we believe was recently crafted to exacerbate the >heightened tension between religious groups in India1. This particular >"song" is included in the essay titled, "The Ramayana and the Study of >South >Asia" ("Education About Asia", volume 2, number 1, Spring 1997, page 36, by >Susan S Wadley). > > Prof. Wadley says, "My favorite lessons are those that most directly >challenge the ways in which South Asia is often taught. Hence the final >lesson on low caste views of the Ramayana presents a reality too often >ignored in western treatments of Hinduism and India. The low caste folk >song presented in this lesson gives a view of the Ramayana not commonly >found in western texts.... This view of the Ramayana as oppressing women >and the indigenous pre-Aryan inhabitants challenges us to remember that >India has never been the rigid society so often portrayed, but rather one >in >which multiple voices speak, often challenging the superiority of those at >the top. And it is through the many tellings of the Ramayana over time, in >different historical and social circumstances, that this message is >conveyed >so clearly"2. > > We repeat that no scholar we contacted knows who wrote this "song". >We >believe that it could be the work of Prof. Wadley herself or a recent >contribution by a political activist opposed to the present government in >India. This made-up hate song is used as a vehicle to express the >scholar's >own biases. Her political diatribe against Hindus, and this false and >mischievous characterization of Rama as the oppressor of women and of >"lower >caste" Hindus, and of Rama as a slave-holder and outsider (Aryan other as >opposed to the native Dravidian) is not only an attack against Rama, who >the >majority Hindus hold as the incarnation of God, but a clear attempt to >create and fuel political, religious, and cultural rifts in India and feed >American students complex Indian political issues in a simplistic and >insidious manner. > > We provide refutations to the claims made in this "song" to support >our >argument that not only is it a false depiction of both the epic and Indian >history but a dangerous attempt at inserting one's political agenda into >American classrooms3. > > We wish to point out that in an introductory course on world >religion >for young people, it is important to give a clear, balanced, and >sympathetic >portrayal of a tradition (especially when it is a tradition to which they >don't belong). From this base, students can later explore more >sophisticated and complex issues. The average American teenager has very >little understanding of Hinduism. These students have no idea what the >Ramayana is, let alone its significance for Hindus and Hinduism. In an >introductory unit, they will be merely struggling to grasp the bare >outlines >of Hindu practice and philosophy. Given this, we cannot imagine the >students reciting a "song" that views the Ramayana as a tool for oppressing >women or lower caste people. They would probably imagine that this is what >most Hindus thought of the Ramayana and that is what they believe in and >practice. > > This same principle carries over to the study of other religions: for >example, Christianity or Islam. Some of the scholars who have studied the >Bible have read all or part of it as being patriarchal and oppressing >women, >Jews, homosexuals and black. There are others who criticize its violence >and the way it is used to oppress the poor. Still others question the >authenticity of the Bible and the real-life events of Jesus. Of course, >most Christians see the Bible as containing God's words and would be >horrified at the "deconstruction" of their sacred text. Would we provide >such portrayals of the Bible to our secondary school students, especially >dramatized in performances of hate songs in the manner recommended by Prof. >Wadley? Christians would object vociferously at what they would call an >unfair portrayal of their faith. Islamists and Muslims would similarly >protest if one were to characterize Prophet Mohammed as a jihadist and an >oppressor of women, even if that were supported by textual references. > > Scholars can debate controversial views on the Ramayana and the >Bible >all they want. We just don't find it necessary to import such debates into >classrooms where children are beginning to understand the basic contours of >each religion. The question that Prof. Wadley should have addressed is >this: if I were a Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jew, or Moslem, how would I >want my faith to be understood by those outside it? We believe she has not >adequately understood this problem or has deliberately chosen to ignore it. > > India and the U.S. are the world's two biggest and vibrant >democracies, >and it is only recently that there has been an effort to bridge the >differences in perception that each has had about the other over the past >fifty years. In such times, it is important that we are all engaged in >constructive and positive work that will help build better relations and >understanding among and between the peoples of the two countries. We >therefore urge you to request Prof. Wadley to remove this particular >portion >of her Ramayana instructions in the relevant books and instructional >material she has provided to high school teachers. We are not asking Prof. >Wadley to eschew her brand of politics or stop publishing her scholarly >articles. What we are asking is that Prof. Wadley's malefic interpretation >of the Ramayana or her desire to espouse the political causes of certain >sections of the people of India not be made part of American high school >students' curriculum. A political activist should not turn social studies >into a platform for social engineering, and Government funds should not be >used in this way. > >Sincerely, > > >Dr. David Gray, Executive Director >Executive Council on Indic Traditions Group) > >cc: Richard W. Riley, Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of Education > Washington, D.C. 20202 > Naresh Chandra, Indian Ambassador to the U.S., 2107 Massachusetts >Avenue, NW > Washington, DC 20008 > Congressman Gary L. Ackerman, U.S. House of Representatives > 2243 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515-3205 > > > > Appendix I > From "Spotlight on Ramayana - An Enduring Tradition", Chapter V. > >UNIT 25, LESSON 2 (Pages 335 through 337): > >Teacher Background > > This lesson looks at one way in which caste and the ideology >of caste > are protested in India today. It is important that students >in >the US > realize that caste is not accepted by all Indians, although >that is > the popular perception. In this protest song, sung by a >group >of > untouchables in northern India, the Ramayana is the vehicle >for > protest. It refers to Hindu-Muslim conflicts over the past >decade, > conflicts which are thought by government and untouchable >alike to be > started by agitators who seek to destabilize the government. >(See > also lesson x, this volume. ) Those most hurt by these >conflicts are > the poor who depend on daily wages to survive. If their town >has a > week-long curfew, they have no income for a week. The rich >can > survive these closings, but the poor cannot. > > The song also refers to a popular belief that the Ramayana >describes > the conflict between India's native peoples and the Aryans. >Hence > Ravana becomes the hero, the monkeys are the aborigines (who >become > low castes and untouchables) and Rama is guilty of warring >on >the > weak. > >Procedure > > Distribute Worksheet 2. Read and discuss this song in class. >Students > should be asked to think about comparable traditions in our >country > (rap, rock and country music all conveying political, >anti-elite > traditions). They should also discuss any similarities with >our > history. > > If you live near an area with Indian stores, you might seek >out a > store with tape cassettes and ask if they have any cassettes >of > Indian rap. One particularly popular singer is Apache >Indian, >a > singer born of Indian descent in Birmingham, England, who >uses >a > modified rap style to sing social protest songs about life >in >India > and England. His songs deal with topics like arranged >marriages and > caste. They would be effective vehicles for reaching your >students. > > >Summary > > For homework, ask each student to write a song or story >about >caste > in India. They could write a story of Shabari's lineage. Or >they > could compose a song (in any style) about the evils of >caste. > > What Role Does Caste Play in the Ramayana and Indians' > Interpretations of it? > > > > Appendix II > >Worksheet 2 > > Read this song sung by an untouchable in north India. > > The rulers who control all knowledge, > Claim the Ramayana to be India's history > And called us many names -demons, low castes, untouchables. > But we were the aborigines of this land. > Listen to our story. > > Today we are called the dalits -the oppressed. > Once the Aryans on their horses invaded this land. > Then we who are the natives became the displaced. > Oh Rama, Oh Rama, You became the God and we the demons. > You portrayed our Hanuman as a monkey, > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > You enslaved us to form a monkey army, > Those you could not subjugate > You called a rakshasa -a demon. > But we are the forest rakshak -the protectors. > You invented the hierarchy of caste > Through your laws of Manu, the first man. > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > And you trampled on the rights of women. > You made your wife Sita undergo the ordeal of fire > To prove her chastity. > Such were your male laws, Oh Rama. > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > When Shambuka, the Untouchable > Tried to gain knowledge, > You beheaded him, Oh Rama. > Thus did you crush those who tried to rise above their >caste. > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > Days passed, years and centuries, > But our lives remained the same. > We skinned your cattle, > So that you can wear shoes. > We clean your gutters, > So that you can stay clean. > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > Did you ever even ask, Oh Rama, > What our caste is? > Did you ever even ask > What our religion is? > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > Independence dawned. > It began with the rule of the constitution. > The author of the constitution Dr. Ambedkar > Framed the constitution around secular ideals. > The castle of caste privileges began to crumble. > No longer could the elite skim > The milk of religious exploitation. > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > But poverty grew and to divert the poor > From their real need, a new enemy was found. > Muslims were targeted and "taught a lesson". > To destroy Lanka, Oh Rama, you > Formed us into a monkey army. > And today you want us, > The working majority, > To form a new monkey army > And attack Muslims. > Oh Rama, you representative of the Aryans. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Appendix III > >Rama is depicted as an "Aryan" and thus an outsider. We note that the >Aryan >Invasion Theory is itself a colonial and racist construct of the 19th >century, and therefore such a "song" cannot be a part of the folklore of >Indian tribals. This "song" therefore foists colonial prejudices on an >already suffering population, forcing them to look at themselves through >the >eyes of one of their historical oppressors. > > Valmiki, the author of the Ramayana was himself a member of one of >the >"lower castes" (Please note that "lower" and "upper" castes are modern >terms >recently coined. There is no Indian term for "caste". The term jati has >been conflated with caste but is clearly very different from the Western >conception and definition of caste. There are literally thousands of jatis >in India, and the closest one can come to describing them is a "community" >or "guild"). Superimposing this construct onto a sacred text is a work of >imagination. > > The Shambuka episode included in the "song" is considered by experts >to >be a later day interpolation in the Ramayana. That particular episode is >at >variance with other sections of the story, for example, the Shabari >episode. >The Shambuka episode occurs in the Uttarakanda which is considered a later >addition to the Ramayana as a whole. Regarding the characterization of the >Rama-Ravana Yuddha (battle) as a war between Dravidians and Aryans, the >following points should be noted: > >1. Tradition is unanimous that Rama was a Kshatriya (of the warrior class) >whereas Ravana >was a descendant of Maharshi Pulyatsya and was therefore a Brahmin. The >Jyotirlinga temple at Rameshwaram owes its existence to the expiation >performed by Lord Rama for the killing of >Brahmins like Ravana. > >2. Rama is depicted as a dark man whereas Ravana is depicted as a >fair-skinned person in the epic. If Dravidians were dark and Aryans were >fair, then Rama should be a Dravidian and Ravana should be an Aryan. > >3. Ravana's chief queen was Mandodari, who hailed from Mandor in Rajasthan, >part of "Aryan" country. Therefore, even if Ravana was a "Dravidian", it >still follows that "Aryan-Dravidian" marriages were prevalent in those >days. > >4. Ravana is depicted in the epic as a scholar of Sanskrit. When the >monkey-God Hanuman went to Lanka, he is said to have seen smoke emanating >from the Vedic altars in the homes of the citizens of Lanka. Valmiki, the >author of the Ramayana, also states that Hanuman heard the recitations of >Vedas from the homes of Lankans. In short, the Lankans were Aryans! > >5. Barring Rama and his brother Lakshmana, the entire "Vanara-sena" (army) >was comprised of >the natives of South India. Therefore, the war could very well be >characterized as one between Dravidians. By no stretch of imagination can >the battle/war between Rama and Ravana could be characterized as one >between >Aryans and Dravidians. It is said that when Rama first met Hanuman, the >latter addressed Rama in such mellifluous speech that Valmiki makes Rama >say >that Hanuman has to be a scholar in the Trayvidya to be able to speak so >well. > >6. According to anthropologists, Sri Lanka was originally inhabited by a >people called Veddas who were not Dravidian. Thereafter, the North Indians >from Gujarat and Tamils from the South migrated to Sri Lanka. This view of >anthropologists puts a big question mark on the Aryan-Dravidian theory >propagated by Christian missionaries and racist historians. > >7. Contrary to the impression this "folk song" likes to portray, Rama is a >hallowed figure amongst numerous tribal communities in almost every part of >India. > >The reference to tribes being treated as 'monkeys' and then being used to >'attack Muslims' is highly irresponsible and inflammatory. Besides, there >is >no basis for it. > >If the scholar wishes to portray social issues facing dalits, she should >also portray their plight today at the hands of Christians, as explained at >the dalit's own web site at: >http://www.dalitchristians.com/Html/problems_struggles.htm. > >Some anthropologists such as Prof Wadley often fall into the trap of >labeling all of India's problems as 'Hindu', whereas they would not label >the US' very high incidence of child abuse, rape, massive prison >population, >drug and other addictions, and high incidence of clinical depression as >'Judeo-Christian' problems. Western scholars emphasize caste as the >defining >characteristic of Hinduism, often to the exclusion of other qualities. >However, if they called it 'class' rather than 'caste', it would compel >students to compare with the US' own racially segregated churches, white >supremacy groups, racial profiling, economic stratification, and civil >rights issues. America's caste system is implicit and subtle rather than >explicit and publicly acknowledged, but it is no less harmful. Americans >label their social categories as demographic groups rather than castes, but >this does not make the problems disappear. Often, social science studies >scholars place the West above such 'primitive' practices so as to ridicule >non-Western traditions. This exacerbates the pre-existing prejudices in our >society when in fact scholars should act responsibly rather than using >sensationalism in the classroom. > > _______________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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