Hindutva attempt to distort California School Textbooks on India & Hinduism

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Dear Fellow Californian,

The State of California is currently in the final stage of approving the
history/social science textbooks for grades 6-8 in California schools.
Textbooks have been submitted by multiple publishers for possible approval and
selection by the California Department of Education. Two Hindu fundamentalist
(Hindutva) organizations, Hindu Education Foundation and Vedic Foundation, have
submitted corrections to the textbooks with a view to hide the true history of
India and present a sanitized and glorified view of Indian history and culture.
In the process, they have attempted to sweep under the rug the oppression
suffered by the lower castes and women.

Surprisingly, Shiva Bajpai, a Hindutva-leaning advisor to the California Board
of Education, approved virtually all the changes requested by the Hindu
fundamentalists. (See some of the Hindutva-recommended changes approved by
Shiva Bajpai at http://www.safarmer.com/Indo-Eurasian/snippets.pdf ) However,
in the public hearing held on November 9, 2005, a letter from Prof. Michael
Witzel of Harvard University was submitted to the Board of Education informing
them of the motivations of the Hindutva efforts and requesting them to reject
the Hindutva-recommended changes. (See
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/witzelletter.pdf ) About 50
international scholars specializing in the study of Indian history and culture
endorsed the letter of Prof. Witzel. The Board accepted the recommendations of
the scholars and has been working with a panel of reputed scholars of South
Asia to incorporate those changes that are required to meet the standards of
objective scholarship.

The next step in the process is the adoption of the recommendation of the Board
of Education by the Curriculum Commission on December 1-2, 2005. Now Pranawa C.
Deshmukh, a professor of physics at Indian Institute of Technology has called
for Hindutva forces to rally to the support of the changes suggested by the
Vedic Foundation and the RSS-inspired Hindu Education Foundation. We expect a
number of Hindutva supporters will either write to the Curriculum Commission or
show up at the public hearing. If you believe in teaching California's children
true history and culture of India, it is very important for you to attend the
public hearing on December 1 and 2 in Sacramento and voice your opinion
rejecting the Hindutva-recommended changes. Also, please sign the following
petition or something similar with your added comments and send them to Dr.
Norma Baker, Curriculum Commission at: norma.baker@lausd.net and cc to the
following:
joconnell@cde.ca.gov ; tadams@cde.ca.gov ; Deborah.Keys@comcast.net;


***PLEASE COPY and EMAIL ONLY THE PETITION PORTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS
EMAIL****

For details regarding the public hearing see
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/cd/ccagenda120105.asp .

For details of the addresses of Curriculum Commission members, see:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/cc/cd/members.asp

Petition
======================================

sub: Reject Hindu Fundamentalist attempt to distort India History

To:

Dr. Norma Baker, Ed.D. norma.baker@lausd.net
Chair, Curriculum Commission
1430 N Street, Suite 3207
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Dr. Baker,

Re: Edits and Corrections for 2005 History-Social Science - India culture and
history

We have learned that the Curriculum Commission is reviewing the Ad Hoc
Committee Edits and Corrections for History-Social Science Instructional
Materials and welcomes public comments on these before it submits its
recommendation report to the State Board of Education on December 2, 2005.

While we agree that India history is not just Cows and Caste, we are dismayed
by the Hindu Education Foundation and CRP recommended edits approved by the ad
hoc committee on November 2, 2005. Based on the version of the document that
is available to the public at
http://www.safarmer.com/Indo-Eurasian/snippets.pdf , it is obvious that these
recommendations have gone far beyond correcting errors and this is an attempt
to rewrite history with a Hindu fundamentalist perspective.

However, we take heart in the decision of the Board of Education on November 9,
2005 to work with a panel of reputed scholars of South Asia to incorporate
those changes that are required to meet the standards of objective scholarship.
We believe that the Children of California should have the opportunity to learn
of the great contributions of India to the world history and culture. However,
the children also should learn that like all great civilizations of antiquity,
India also had its dark side. This is particularly important since millions of
Indians continue to suffer under an oppressive system that has its roots in
ancient India. In the name of political correctness, one should not sweep
under the rug such oppressions and present a sanitized and glorified view of
Indian history.

We request the California Department of Education to reject the changes to the
India sections of the history/social science textbooks of California
recommended by any organization other than the panel of scholars with whom the
Board of Education has been working since November 10, 2005.

Sincerely,

Name:
Address:

Email address:
cc:

Mr. Jack O' Connell joconnell@cde.ca.gov
State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Director of Education
Thomas Adams tadams@cde.ca.gov
Executive Director to the Curriculum Commission and Director of the Curriculum
Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division (CFIR)

Dr. Deborah Keys, Ed.D. Deborah.Keys@comcast.net
Vice Chair, Curriculum Commission