Bhagavad Gita studied by Hindus and Muslims in this school

Lucknow: Schools across the country may have modified textbooks over the decades, but an institution in Lucknow has persisted with the Bhagavad Gita as a moral science textbook for the last 75 years. Hindu as well as Muslim students have to study it.

Besides being the "prescribed book" for the moral science subject, the holy scripture is also a compulsory subject for all students of Gita Vidyalaya in the Babuganj area here.

"Holy scriptures like the Gita guide human beings, their behaviour towards individual, family and society. So by teaching lessons from the Gita we, in a way, are teaching students about the importance of their life and making them realise their responsibilities," school principal U.P. Mishra told IANS.

"We take pride in keeping the unique tradition alive at the school that was started around 1935 by a group of three friends who were deeply religious," he added.

The 30-odd Muslims among the school's 200 students also study the Hindu text as part of their curriculum.

According to school officials, three friends - Hanuman Prasad, Jai Prakash and R.S. Kotwal - decided to establish the school for not only promoting education but also to inculcate moral values among kids.

The school gradually became one of the prominent learning centres in Lucknow.

Some prominent admirers of the school who visited it during its early years include patriot Sarojini Naidu and former union minister Govind Ballabh Pant.

It was in 1947 that Gita Vidyalaya got affiliation from the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad. In 1973, it became eligible for receiving financial assistance from the state government.

"Even after the government-appointed staff started coming to the school, the teachers made every effort to continue the tradition of teaching the Gita to students. Without their cooperation it would have been really difficult to keep alive such an old practice in changing times," said Mishra.

"The former as well as the present teachers of the school need to be congratulated for their efforts. I think the glorious past of the school inspired the teachers and made them work in this regard," he added.

The school students have to clear written and oral examinations annually that test their knowledge of the text.

At present, there are over 200 students - both girls and boys - from Class 6 to Class 10 in the school.

"On a daily basis, five 'shlokas' (verses) are taught to students. We not only make students learn the shlokas, we also try that students understand their meaning and relate them with the day-to-day activities in their lives," said Savita Saxena, a teacher.

"Every year, students have to appear for a written examination that mainly comprises 10 questions framed from different chapters of the Gita," the teacher said.

"While questions for students of Class 6-8 are objective in nature, questions for students of Class 9-10 are based on application of moral teachings in the Gita and they are supposed to answer them in a subjective manner," Sharma added.
 

(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at asit.s@ians.in)

                                           Home | Top of the Page

Top Stories

CBI raids Kalmadi's Delhi, Pune residences, Games office

CBI Friday raided the Delhi and Pune homes of Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi as well as the Games office here, two months after the mega event ended amid allegations of major financial irregularities.    »

Suresh Kalmadi's premises raided by CBI

  Most Read

Islamic banking thrives in financial crisis

Islamic banking has emerged as one of the most rapidly expanding sectors of the global financial industry, with expectations that it will play a growing role in the years to come. Banks and financial institutions that comply with Islamic law (sharia) showed   »

The real battle for the idea of India

What's India’s ruling Congress party up to now?

Is it really undergoing a radical metamorphosis or is this yet another clever, little trick out of its ancient bag? When was the last time you had senior Congress leaders hold forth on Hindu extremism being a grave threat to India's security  »

  News Pick

Anarchists behind Rome mail bombs

Package bombs exploded at the Swiss and Chilean embassies in Rome on Thursday, wounding the two people who opened them, in attacks that bore similarities to  »

Kerala Govt to transfer land for AMU Malappuram Dec 28

The Aligarh Muslim University move to establish a state-of-art AMU Centre at Malappuram has received a big push. The Kerala government has acquired a total of 392 acres of land for setting up the AMU Centre and decided to   »

Rights activist Binayak Sen convicted, arrested

Rights activist Binayak Sen, accused of links with Maoists, was Friday convicted for sedition and conspiracy by a Chhattisgarh court and arrested soon after, leaving his family and fellow activists shaken and disappointed.   »

Pope delivers unprecedented Christmas message on BBC

In a first for the Vatican and British broadcaster BBC, Pope Benedict XVI Friday was given a radio slot to deliver a Christmas message   »

A madrassa starts yoga, propagates communal harmony

Shortly after reciting 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim' from the Holy Quran, hundreds of students at a madrassa here fall in line for their first lesson of the day - yoga taught by a Hindu teacher. Imdadul-Jamia-Uloom Madrassa   »