When I first heard about the convener of the “Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti”, Dina Nath Batra, and his books, I assumed it was the work of a fundamentalist eccentric that would fade into the sunset of time. Then came the news that his books were compulsory reading material in Gujarat schools. The IMA Goa State Branch annual conference followed, where the IMA National President in his inaugural address dwelt on the scientific and medical aspects of Batras’ books at some length. 

The PMs’ speech at a function in Mumbai late October where he quoted from these books as evidence of India’s’ past glory drew further attention. More recently came the attempt to impose Sanskrit on the country’s school children in tune with Batras book “Shiksan nu Bharityakaran” wherein he deplores the current domination by the English language which “results in Sanskrit being sidelined”. All of which stimulated me to have a closer look at the whole issue.

One of his eight books, “Tejomay Bharat” has a chapter “Vigyanmay Bharat” (Scientific India), which contains the scientific “gems” the IMA National President dwelt on. According to this “treatise”, stem cell therapy and regenerating body parts was patented by Dr Matapurkar; who later realized that it was described in the Mahabharata much before that. 

Gandhari was unable to conceive, and underwent a hysterectomy. Dwaipayan Vyas was called and he preserved the specimen in a “cold tank with specific medicines”. He then divided the mass into 100 parts and preserved them in tanks full of ghee. After two years 100 Kauravas were born. This is claimed to be the first example of stem cell therapy. “America wants to take credit for the invention but it belongs to India”. As it happens, Martin Evans in Cambridge University first identified stem cells in mice.

“The motorcar existed in the Vedic period” in the form of the “anashva rath” (the one that runs without horses). Sanjaya in the Mahabharata, sitting inside a palace in Hastinapur using his ‘divya shakti’ gave a live telecast of the battle of Mahabharata to the blind Dhritarastra. This was the “first television broadcast”. The PM adds his own interpretation of Lord Ganesh with an elephant’s head on a human body. “There must have been some plastic surgeon who achieved this and began the practice of plastic surgery”. Ramesh Pokhriyal, former CM of Uttarakhand, established new ludicrous highs by endorsing the PM’s views and further by claiming that the ancient sage Kanad conducted nuclear tests in the 2nd century. Astrology, he declares, is the “no. 1 science for the entire world”.

The Oxford English Dictionary describes Science as: “A branch of study which is concerned either with a connected body of demonstrated truths or observed facts systematically classified and more or less colligated by being brought under general laws and which includes trustworthy methods for the discovery of new truth within its own domain”.

It appears that the line between science and mythology has been blurred by a surfeit of misplaced political enthusiasm bordering on lunacy. When politicians indulge in such fantasies it is understandable (but not excusable); after all what else can you expect from their DNA. But when the National President of the country’s largest association of medical professionals makes such statements in public fora, scientific principles have been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

In pursuance of Batra’s recommendations on Sanskrit, Uma Bharati speaking at the concluding session of a three day Jal Manthan (dialogue on water issues) stated “there are more people in India who speak and understand Sanskrit than people who can speak and understand English”. It may have been more useful if she stuck to water and cleaning up the Ganga; because the last census suggests that only 14000 people described Sanskrit as their primary language. Several states including Gujarat had no speakers in Sanskrit. Yet Batra states that by not learning Sanskrit, students “will be deprived of the knowledge that our epics have on our culture”; ignoring the fact that the epics have been translated into every major Indian language as well as many foreign languages. 

Sanskrit is in fact used mainly by Hindu priests and accounts for less than 1% of Indians who can speak the language. It is a classical language that has seen its days and outlived its utility, like Latin. Apart from scholars, academics and of course the irrational HRD, it has no takers. Attempts to revive past glory of the language by imposing it on a generation of children who are never going to use it, suggests a failure to realize that language, like civilization is progressive and has moved on. Making it compulsory is like flogging a dead horse and merely reflects a paucity of innovative ideas on relevant issues and an inferiority complex. Even teachers of Sanskrit admit that “students are not interested in the subject because apart from teaching, the language offers no job opportunities”. The looney fringe should learn from management institutes who even offer Mandarin as an optional subject, recognizing the future potential of such knowledge, just like the Chinese drive to learn English. Claiming that knowledge of Sanskrit would reduce the incidence of suicides and inculcate discipline amounts to irrational fantasy. For that matter, Tamil is as old as Sanskrit, and has more people speaking it in India today than Sanskrit. 

Education is obviously high on the not so hidden agenda of the looney fringe. But when the PM adds his bit, it disappoints. That he chose to force on children a lengthy address on Teachers’ Day, adding to their misery, was inconsiderate, smacks of a grandiose mentality and ignored the ground realities. We are short of 12 lakh teachers; those that do opt for the profession are inadequately trained, underpaid, often neglect their commitments, and are exposed to recruitment scandals. The recommendations of the Justice Verma Commission still await attention. Schools lack basic amenities like toilets, water (both of which contribute to the dropout rate) and electricity. In fact there was a mad scramble in many schools to arrange functioning televisions for the event. 

Against this background, the HRD ministry faces a cut in budgetary allocation of Rs.11,500 crores, Higher & technical Education of 4,000 crores and School and Secondary Education will lose 7500 crores.

And the Honorable Prime Minister hopes to propel the country into a position of world leadership in science, technology and ease of doing business in the 21st century. Let us wish him the best of luck.

(Dr Gladstone D'Costa is the Chairman, 

Accreditation Committee and member, 

Executive Committee, Goa Medical Council)