Your Window on Kashmir Friday Dec 09th
Marching Into The Past
Niloofar Qureshi
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
– Nelson Mandela
In the recent months, attacks from various quarters on the education curriculum and other sports and cultural activities in the state have become more pronounced. The basis of this criticism is the belief that this is a deliberate attempt to destroy the ‘cultural identity’ of Kashmiris and to ‘divert’ the youth from their ‘national duties’. While those espousing this thought may have their reasons, I have failed to find any substance in their arguments.
I do not protest merely for the sake of protesting nor do I show any person or organization in poor light. Knowing that strikes cause loss of revenue and livelihood as well as hardships to the public, I never protest. This is because I know these effects are transitory. But when it comes to education, I feel it to be my duty to protest against any attempts that promote introduction of changes based on antiquated thoughts. I protest because this will have adverse end results which are irreversible and permanent. Kashmir is not an island and if we have to progress, then one cannot confine education to ‘structured’ academics only. Education should be all encompassing- it should result in overall development of children so that they acquire the capability to face challenges of the future.
Half a century ago, a BA degree was all that was needed to get you a plum job. There was no need for including extracurricular activities in the syllabi then because there was enough time available after studies to play games, pursue hobbies and partake in cultural activities. But things have changed. Today, text books by themselves consume all the available time and academics alone does not suffice. A well developed personality and good communication skills are what prospective employers look for and this is why extracurricular activities have to be an integral part of the syllabus.
To use education as a tool of protest is a prescription for ruin. Myopia will make us fall into a morass from which there is no way out. We have to be more pragmatic. One may find fault with New Delhi for its failure to resolve the Kashmir problem, but then does the education curriculum deserve to be shelved solely because it has been formulated in New Delhi? Yes, this should be so if there was a ‘special’ curriculum only for schools in Kashmir, but that is not the case.
It is surprising sadbhavana activities, creation of Youth clubs and conduct of various tournaments and cultural programmes have come under criticism. Here again, the logic appears to be skewed because the criticism is primarily due to the fact that these schemes are the initiatives of the army and police. I hold no brief for New Delhi, nor any liking for either the army or the police. Yet, I feel that to label the education curriculum as an attempt at ‘cultural invasion’ and sadbhavana project as a plan to distract the children from the ‘freedom struggle’ by involving them in “amusement activities.” does not convince. Sadbhavana was started many years ago and if it was really meant to ‘distract’ the children, then how is it that the youth came out in such great numbers during the summer protests last year?
Whatever be the aim of sadbhavana, the fact is that it provides a good opportunity for self empowerment, gives some of our children the chance to visit places which they would have otherwise never seen and provides medical assistance to our people residing in remote areas. I have not seen any change in the thinking of the children who come back after sadbhavana tours. Parents are the most concerned about their children and should there have been any attempt by the sponsors to mislead the young, then there would certainly be no takers for these tours. Yet we find these tours are very popular.
Are the detractors those who wish that our children remain ‘frogs in the well’ so that their innocence can be exploited? Is it not more beneficial to have a generation which has a broader outlook as they would be able to carry on the ‘struggle’ more effectively? Today we say that to save our ‘cultural identity’, we should not send our children on sadbhavana tours or participate in cultural programmes. Tomorrow, we will say that we should not send our children outside Kashmir for higher studies for the same reasons- where will all this end?
Next is the issue of the school curriculum. Mr Geelani has made an accusation that New Delhi is “using educational institutions to implement its policy of cultural aggression, and state machinery is also being utilized for the purpose.” He goes on to say that “Instead of education, attention is being paid towards cultural programmes and sports. This too is a conspiracy to blight the future of Kashmiri students, and divert their attention from “national duties.” What are the ‘national duties’ that the curriculum is diverting the children from? Is it not our ‘national duty’ to ensure that we have an appropriately educated generation which is capable of meeting the complex challenges of the future, or is it that we are content with creating a generation proficient only in stone pelting?
I know that these thoughts may upset some. I also know that this piece may never find a place in print. Yet I write since I feel strongly that we must be more discerning when it comes to the future of our children. Let us not blindly impose those thoughts which prove detrimental to our children’s future. By tradition, Kashmiris have, for times immemorial, been connected with commerce which makes them travel far and wide and spend considerable time outside the state. Yet our culture has endured. Why this hue and cry now? Let us not ruin the future of our children by making them bonsai plants which are of ornamental value only. Instead, let us allow them to grow up into Chinars- tall and magnificent!
As for preserving our cultural identity, ‘deprivation’ or ‘denial’ is a regressive method to achieve the same. Such an approach breeds contempt and inculcates negative thoughts in young minds. On the contrary, ‘exposure’ facilitates unbiased evaluation which forms the basis of introspection and leads to the realization of the richness of one’s culture. It is my firm belief that it is only through broad based education and exposure that one can be made to realize the richness of one’s own culture; otherwise it is just like “ghar ki murgi daal barabar!”
---The views expressed in the write-up are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Kashmir Observer
