After attempt to gag Urdu writers, Yoga being imposed on Urdu centers, NCPUL’s autonomy under threat
By MM Special Correspondent,
New Delhi: Since the BJP-led NDA government came to power at the Center, it has been brazenly imposing its skewed ideology on the autonomous institutions. The latest case in point is the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) which is the largest autonomous body of Urdu language under the Human Resource Development Ministry. The Ministry has asked the NCPUL to make special preparation for ‘International Yoga Day’ and Yoga as a part of daily routine of its students. However, it is unfortunate that the NCPUL did not show any spine and succumbed to the dictate of the Ministry. It has issued a circular on March 29 directing its more than 500 training centers across the county to make special preparation for Yoga Day and also make Yoga a part of daily routine for the students.
NCPUL is an autonomous body under the ministry of human resource development. It runs centers imparting training in computer applications, business accounting and multilingual desktop publishing (CABA-MDTP) as well as calligraphy and graphic designing (CGD) to Urdu speaking students in order to make them part of employable workforce. Most of these centers are situated in madrasas or minority institutions.
The circular directing the centers to impart Yoga carries the signature of NCPUL assistant director (academics) Shama K Yazdani.
‘In fact we have received a circular from MHRD to make special arrangement on International Yoga Day (21st June) , the circular also directs to start Yoga classes at NCPUL centers across the country’ says Yazdani while talking to Muslim Mirror
The first page of the circular states the importance of health and emphasizes on the need to make Yoga compulsory in all educational institutions in order to ensure good health. The second page consists of an advisory from HRD minister. Rest of the pages contains instructions on performing Yoga.
It is explicitly stated that the first step consists of 2 minutes of ‘namaskar mudra’ which is to be started with recitation of ‘Om-Om-Om’. Next come some more recitations including ‘Om -Shanti-Shanti’ which will be followed by other yoga asans all together lasting 45 minutes.
Earlier the MHRD issued a form to NCPUL which has a controversial clause which required the writers to declare that their work do not contain anything which goes against the policies of the incumbent government, or anything that is against national interest, or anything which promotes disharmony between the various communities.”
The MHRD withdrew the clause from the declaration form after writers belonging to other languages also joined the protest saying it was a brazen attempt to curtail the freedom of expression.
It seems that the present director of the NCPUL Prof Irteza Karim lacks guts to withstand the unwarranted dictate from the HRD Ministry. The organization’s autonomy is under constant threat. When asked about this, he said “We receive such circulars from MHRD but the implementation of such circular is a different matter”.
Govt of India is imposing Hindutva cultural terrorism onto muslims.
Muslims must awaken to challenge the Hindutva cultural terrorism.