India in the view of the world

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- "Hindu Press InternationalHindu Press International" HPI, April 19, 2005 Tue, 19 Apr 2005 17:06:08 -1000 > > Today's Stories: > 1. Virginia Hindu Parents Challenge School Textbooks > 2. New Hindi Feature Film Insults Hindu Priests > 3. Bangladesh - A Holy Land for Hindus and Buddhists > > 1. Virginia Hindu Parents Challenge School Textbooks > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59613-2005Apr16.html > > FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, USA, April 17, 2005: (HPI note: This article in > the Washington Post is titled, "Wiping Stereotypes Of India off the > Books, Fairfax Parents Win Nuanced Lessons on Homeland.") > > Fairfax County businesswoman Sandhya Kumar teaches her three > daughters about other countries, cultures and religions. She wants > them to take pride in their Indian heritage and Hindu faith -- and > to respect and understand other views. But when Kumar of Lorton > scanned several world history textbooks recommended for Fairfax > County schools, she worried that students would come away with a > distorted and negative impression of her homeland's culture. "I > thought the American children will think India is some Third World > country with pagan beliefs and backward thinking, not a > forward-thinking country," Kumar said. She and dozens of other > Indian American parents launched a campaign to change the way their > history is taught in Fairfax, the nation's 12th-largest school > system. Their lobbying has prompted school officials to rethink > presentations of India and Hinduism in classrooms and has sparked > efforts to develop a more sophisticated and thoughtful curriculum. > > Susan Douglass, a world history curriculum consultant who has > worked with Fairfax schools, said the changes mirror a broader > shift in the way history and religion are taught nationwide. She > said it was in the 1960s and '70s that Eastern cultures and > religions began appearing in textbooks that largely focused on > Western civilizations. But the presentations often lacked > sophistication compared with lessons about Christianity, which was > more familiar to authors. "Before we'd set up this curio cabinet > called Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism. We'd put in the foundation, > the books, the acts of worship and add the components that are > exotic compared to what the students know," Douglass said. "With > Islam, for a long time it was four wives, no pork and no alcohol." > > But now, she said, there is an increased effort by educators to > teach aspects of each religion through the eyes of its followers. > Balaji Hebbar, a George Washington University religion professor > who was one of three scholars hired by Fairfax County to review the > books cited by the group of Indian parents, said he and his > colleagues found few factual errors. But he said the lessons boiled > down a complex culture to "karma, cows and caste.It's as if I > were making a picture book of the United States, and I took > pictures of the bad parts of D.C., the run-down parts of New York > City and the smoke stacks of Cleveland and left out the Golden Gate > Bridge and the Statue of Liberty," Hebbar said. "I would be telling > the truth, but I would only be telling half the truth." Hebbar and > the other scholars, Ariel Glucklich, a Georgetown University > theology professor, and Robert DeCaroli, an art professor at George > Mason University, said caste sometimes was overemphasized. > Glucklich said he thinks the presentation in many of the books > "completely removes the kids' ability to imagine . . . why anybody > in his right mind would want to be Hindu." > > Based on the concerns of Fairfax educators, five publishers made > modest changes in the texts, and the professors recommended that > the county purchase eight revised books, reject one and supplement > the curriculum with other materials. > > The parents challenged some facts, but many of the complaints > centered on emphasis, omission or even nuances in the way the > authors presented Hinduism. For example, one fifth-grade book > explains that Hindus "made up stories" to help explain holy texts, > an assertion that Bahadur called "blasphemous." Misra and the > professors did not agree with all of Bahadur's conclusions. But > they recommended that teachers expand their lessons on topics > including Hindu writings; the value system, including the four > stages of life; reincarnation and salvation. School officials said > that if members of other religions or ethnic groups raise concerns, > they are ready to listen. "This is not the end of a conversation," > Monday said. "This is the beginning of a conversation about how we > handle our increasingly diverse community." > > HPI adds: The parents are to be commended for their actions on the > textbooks. For more information, contact: Shivaram Sitaram at > ssitaram100 > > 2. New Hindi Feature Film Insults Hindu Priests > http://www.indiaexpress.com/news/entertainment/20050409-0.html > > VARANASI, INDIA, April 9, 2005: A new Hindi feature film called > "Dharma" has traditional Hindu priests who perform religious > ceremonies on the banks of the river Ganga in Varanasi "up in > arms." The priest are insulted and outraged by two particular > scenes in the movie. The news release said, "What has particularly > angered the Pandas is a scene in which actor Pankaj Kapur, cast in > the role of a Panda strongman, is shown misbehaving with lead > actress Hrishita Bhatt. In another sequence, a group of Pandas have > been shown as beating up a foreign tourist on the riverbank." Sabha > President Pandit Rajiv Nandan Mishra said, "Such scenes should be > deleted from the picture as it casts aspersion on the image of the > Pandas who are held in high esteem by pilgrims and common people. > The Pandas have been performing Hindu rituals since ages and have > always strived to maintain cordial relationship with the pilgrims > and visitors from the country and abroad. However, the film has > aimed at marring the image of the Pandas by depicting them in poor > light." Kashi Tirth Purohit Sabha, General Secretary Chandrashekhar > Shastri added, "The film is an 'attack on the Pandas' reputation as > flag bearers of ancient Hindu traditions and we demand withdrawal > of these scenes." > > 3. Bangladesh - A Holy Land for Hindus and Buddhists > http://www.mayerdak.com/homeland/holybangla2005.htm > > BANGLADESH, April 12, 2005: A mosaic of religious sites permeate > Bangladesh otherwise known as Bengal and the region boasts the > birth of many religious personages on its soil. Dr. Sachi G. > Dastidar explains, "Over the millenniums several places have become > famous tirthas or places of pilgrimages in Bengal. A large > concentration of those places are in today's Bangladesh. Many > notable monks, rishis (Hindu saints), bhikkhus (Buddhist saints), > and famous personalities were born here. Many Muslim tombs of holy > pirs and darbeshes exist here, notable among them is the mazar > (cemetery) of Shah Jalal in Sylhet. There exist several famous > Christian churches. In Bangladesh [bengal] Hindu traditions of > local, Vedic, non-Vedic, tribal, Mongolian along with Buddhist and > Islamic, have all merged to give her a distinctive identity. Here > the traditions of the Saivaites, Saktas and Vaishnavs, (the > predominant Hindu groups in Bengal) have merged producing many > festivities from worshipping of tulshi plants and banyan trees to > snake goddess Manasa to Gods Kali, Shiva and Sri Krishna. It is > estimated that there are over 20,323 temples in Bangladesh." > > These are only a few of the highlights that Dr. Dastidar has > expounded on in this news release. Dr. Sachi G Dastidar, a > Distinguished Service Professor of State University of New York, > can be reached at dastidars. > > > ----------- > > HINDU PRESS INTERNATIONAL > > A daily news summary for breaking news sent via e-mail and posted > on the web for media, educators, researchers, writers, religious > leaders worldwide and Hinduism Today magazine rs, courtesy > of Hinduism Today editorial staff > > Visit our archives at http://www.HinduismToday.com/hpi/ > Help with Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster relief. 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