By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Ahmedabad: Amidst strong protest by Congress councillors, social activists and Muslim parents, ‘Saraswati Puja’ was organized on Saturday in more than 450 schools run by the Ahmedabad municipal corporation (AMC).
However, in minority schools no puja was performed but the students were informed about the importance of Vasant Panchami Day.
“No puja is conducted here. We follow our religion [Islam]. We can only inform the children that such a puja is performed on this day among the Hindus, but we cannot actually perform the ritual. If we do that there will be a backlash from the parents. We won’t be abiding by the circular and if we are questioned by the school management committee, we will explain our reasons. We know that goddess Saraswati is deity of knowledge and we can only inform the students about it,” the head teacher of an Urdu medium school in a Muslim-dominated locality of Ahmedabad told The Hindu.
In a circular issued on January 19, the Ahmedabad municipal corporation board said: “Vasant Panchami is the occasion to remember Goddess of knowledge, Maa Saraswati Devi. To make students understand the importance of education, schools need to organise Saraswati Puja and make students recite prayers of Saraswati….”
The Board had clarified the programme was an attempt to inculcate moral values among children and make them understand the importance of education by remembering goddess Saraswati. During the event, students were to recite prayer for Saraswati at the morning assembly and perform puja.
However, Congress accused AMC board of promoting the BJP’s Hindutva agenda and attacking the rights of minorities and claimed the Board is forcing Muslim students to perform puja, which is prohibited in Islam. It had also threatened of protests and legal action.
The commanding order of AMC was meant for 450 primary schools in the city, including 64 Urdu-medium ones, mostly in Muslim dominated areas. These Urdu schools are attended by around 18,000 minority community students.
As reported by section of media, the issue was first raised by Haji Mirza Baig, the Congress councillor from Sarkhej in Juhapura. He claimed the circular was “an attack on the rights of minorities”.
“Congress councillors will stage protests against such a dictatorial approach of the AMC. Urdu schools must be kept away from this order. Otherwise, we will take legal action and knock the doors of the court,” he warned.
Hanif Lakdawala, a minority leader who runs educational programmes, termed the move unacceptable. “No one should try to impose their religious agenda on others. These are sensitive times and there is bound to be reaction.” He told The Telegraph.
Congress councillors, including opposition leader in AMC, Badruddin Shaikh gathered at Juhapura on Saturday morning and burned the copies of the circular.
“Around 1.5 lakh students of various religions are studying in about 457 schools run by the Board. But, the BJP- led AMC as well as state government are promoting their Hindutva agenda through such diktats. We strongly condemn this attempt,” said Shaikh, who was accompanied by some parents during the protest.
Amidst such protests, the board clarified the circular is not meant to hurt sentiments of minority community. “Our sole aim is to promote the quest for knowledge among children and not to hurt the followers of any religion,” Jagdish Bhavsar, chairman of the board, said.
“Everybody prays and worships in his own way. If they are not comfortable with offering prayers to Saraswati, they can do ‘Ibadat’ (worship) in their own way. The only aim of this circular is to make children aware of the importance of education,” he said.
Zafar Sareshwala, the chancellor of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, criticised the AMC board, saying such directives would not enhance the quality of education in its schools, which were in “pathetic condition”.
He said he had no “problem with the Saraswati Puja but the board would do better to concentrate on developing infrastructure in its schools and creating a conducive study environment than issuing directives that appeared to be a “classic case of escapism”.
An attempt to discontinue assembly prayer practice
The Indian Express on December 15, 2014, had reported how municipal schools have been facing flak after orders of discontinuing the decades old practice of conducting separate prayers during morning and afternoon assembly sessions in Urdu and Gujarati medium schools and conduct a common prayer, instead.
Recently, Urdu medium municipal schools were asked to follow prayers of Gujarati medium schools that include Saraswati vandana, sarva dharm prathna and a list of 30 other prayers.
The change in prayers’ module has become a bone of contention among parents of Urdu school students, who had earlier submitted a representation to the Board authorities questioning the intention behind the move and have demanded the officials allowing the old practice in Urdu municipal schools.
While the Gujarati medium schools follow Saraswati vandana along with sarva dharm prathna, the Urdu schools have been replacing it with a kalma.