RSS run schools are coming under a scanner, with MHRD minister
contemplating action against them (Oct 2006). In last three decades
thousands of schools of different variety have mushroomed, Ekal
Vidyalaya, Sarswati Shishu Mandirs, and Vidya Bharati, run by RSS
combine. Those working in the remote interiors realized that
communalism which was an urban phenomenon so far, now is making
stronger inroads into rural, Adivasi areas as well. As if well
planned, a parallel phenomenon of the incidents of sectarian
violence, have gone up during the same period. Is there any
correlation between the two? While one awaits the publication of
Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE) report, one also knows
that already various social activists and academics have analyzed the
books being taught in Shishu Mandirs and Vidya Bharati. Some of these
studies/reports were put together by many organizations like Sahmat
and Communalism Combat amongst others.

These reports did point out the dangers posed by the types of books
being taught in these schools published by RSS combine. That the
books being taught in these outfits are divisive to the core is
beyond any shade of doubt. The type of social common sense, which is
becoming strong in the country all over, and the type of hate which
communities are developing for each other have come from various
sources, one of them being the type of books, the type of education
being given in these chains. One realizes that RSS shakha bauddhiks
were the progenitors of hate ideology right from 1925. They kept
working silently, spreading that this is a Hindu nation, Muslims and
Christians are aliens, secularism is being imposed on ’us’ by those
influenced by Western culture like Nehru, there is a need to keep the
Muslims and Christians ’in place’, we need to restore the glory of
ancient Hindu India in the exalted position of the World teacher, the
fountain head of wisdom for the all other countries of the World, as
we are chosen for the World Mission.

This kept percolating in the society and the indoctrination of
sections of community started taking place, followed by the
infiltration of RSS elements in Media and formal education, giving
the process a further boost. The later stage of this process of
sectarian indoctrination is through distortion of educational books
at all the levels and that’s what Sarswati Shishu Mandirs are doing.

The reports and analysis of these books so far has revealed that the
sectarian ideology of Hindu nation, the hate and denigration of other
religious communities, the upholding of caste and gender hierarchy
and the glorification repressive ideology of fascism have been
blatantly propagated through these. These books have listed all the
Hindu festivals as national festivals, excluding the ones of Sikhs,
Jain, Buddha, Christian and Muslims. They blatantly propagate that
Islam spread on the strength of sword, it is a violent religion, and
lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives to save the attacks on
Ram temple. There is a subtle attempt to undermining of the acts of
violence done by RSS swaymsevaks, like Gandhi’s date of birth is
mentioned but his death and how he was murdered by Godse does not
find any mention. ( L.S.Hardenia, Socialist Secular Bharat Jan 2002)
Similarly a more detailed study in Communalism Combat, October 1999,
goes on to show the pattern of distortion of facts, the way
presentation is slanted to demonize other religious communities is
elaborated. This is what they have to say about Christianity, "It is
because of the conspiratorial policies of the followers of this
religion that India was partitioned. Even today Christian
missionaries are engaged in fostering anti-national tendencies in
Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal, Bihar, Kerala, and other regions of
our country because of which there is a grave danger to the integrity
of present day India". Muslims and Islam are given a similar
treatment, "Thousands of opponents of idol worship, the followers of
Islam, go to the pilgrimage centre of Islamic community at Kaaba to
worship ’Shivalinga’. In Muslim society, the greatest wish is to have
a darshan of that black stone (Shivalinga)".

In one of the questions, children are asked to fill in the blanks
’rivers of blood’ as the means by which Prophet Mohammad spread
Islam. Meghanad Saha is supposed to have written the history of Hindu
science, the water of river Ganga, whose pollution is phenomenal, is
supposed to be so pure that it never gets bad and is pious. The
obscurantism and sectarianism walk hand in hand in this and they
boost each other. One of the questions in these books relates to the
demolition of Babri Masjid, if x number of Kar sevaks can demolish
the mosque in so many hours how much time will be taken by y number
of Kar Sevaks. One is reminded of a similar question regarding
Kalashnikov rifles being put forward by Taliban. It goes without
saying that institutions like Markazi Maktaba and Madrassas also need
to be brought under scrutiny for the content of their curriculum and
similar action needs to be taken against them also if the syllabus
and books being taught there have divisive content.

The violence in the society rests on the pillars of Hatred of other
communities, hatred which is deep and takes hysterical proportions
when incited around temple issue or such one’s or other make believe
incidents. The violence cannot go on without this deep hatred for
others, without a mindset indoctrinated into hating others. That’s
what these books are doing; supplementing to the work which Shakha
bauddhik was doing/ is doing. It broadens the scope of its reach far
and wide and that too starting from an early age. Is it not against
the national integration? Is it not against the values of Indian
constitution? There is an urgent need to make public the CABE report
and to take stern and immediate action against these hate spewing
factories.