Call it parochialism if you will, but every time I go back home to Kerala,  I become aware of more reasons to be proud of having been born and brought up there. It is undoubtedly one of the most or THE most vibrant and dynamic state in our country.

     “Maveli naadu vaanidum kaalam, manusherellarum onnu pole”. So begins a poem that was familiar to every school going kid of my generation.  The poem recalls the times when King Maveli ruled Kerala , when  society was as near perfect as can be and honesty, equality and justice held sway. King Mahabali was banished to the netherworld by jealous Gods, who couldn’t tolerate his popularity amongst his subjects. We Keralites celebrate Onam, with the belief that he returns to visit us annually during those ten days.

    Keralites, I feel, live with an in-born nostalgia for those times and may be, it is this longing for such an egalitarian society, that  lurked in the collective psyche of the Mallu, that allowed for the ease with which, the ideals of Karl Marx  took root in that soil.

    Kerala has had a long history of communal harmony. It is only in recent times that the air has been vitiated by a few sporadic events of violence , sparked off at the behest of political parties. Trade relations with foreign lands which were established long, long ago and which continued over centuries paved the way for a whole-hearted acceptance of different religions and cultures. Chrisitianity and Islam spread in Kerala along with the coming and going of ships ferrying spices from these shores to distant lands. As the interaction benefited both sides, everything was generally cordial and free of aggression, except when the local kings sought help from one or the other group to intervene in their own feuds with each other.

       The “foreign” presence in Kerala is said to have started showing aggressive overtones with the arrival of the Portuguese. The British who came later were clearly unwelcome as the equations of mutual benefit had been replaced with that of imperialistic designs of exploiting this land. And yet, it was the Portuguese, who introduced the cashew nut tree, which is not an indigenous crop, to this soil . Cashew is now one of the major cash crops of Kerala, being exported to several countries and earning foreign revenue. Tapioca, which became part of the staple food amongst the poor in Kerala , because of its rich starch content and rubber, which is another major cash crop, were  introduced by the British..

    The first elections held after the formation of Kerala State, in independent India, put in place, a communist Government, thus earning the distinction of  being the first state in any country, where the communists came to power through the conscious choice of the people exercised through the ballot boxes. Soon after coming to power, the Government brought in two major laws that has had a huge impact on the transformation of the state and its people. One of them was the Kerala Land Reforms Act and the other, the Education Bill. Through the former, tenant farmers , working for years and years, on land owned by others, got lasting immunity from the threat of eviction; they became entitled to enjoy the produce of the land and they were given the rights to purchase and sell the land, if they so desired. This Act also brought into effect a ceiling on the land holding and the excess land was acquired by the Government and distributed amongst the landless.

       TheEducation Bill sought to maintain and step up the priority that had always  been accorded to the field of education by the erstwhile rulers of this state. Through the Education Bill, the Government took on the responsibility of disbursing the salaries of the hundreds of schools being run by individual/private Managements. The Managements of the so called “Government –aided” schools, provide the building and other infrastructure and in turn are given the freedom to appoint the teachers on their own. The quoted rate for each such appointment several years ago, was something to the tune of one  to two lakhs. I guess it must have been hiked up in the intervening years.  Anyway, this arrangement  has been responsible for free education becoming easily accessible and is one of the main reasons for the high literacy rate of the state.

       Of late though, the Government  schools and aided schools are seeing a decline in the enrolment rate, mostly because with the general, upwardly mobile profile of the middle class, the English medium schools are increasingly being patronized. Another reason is the series of controversies that have erupted, everytime a change in the syllabi or method of teaching or the textbooks were introduced. The Distict Primary Education Programme for e.g was aimed at more active participation of the students and direct observation of the subjects that were being taught, which would any day be a better way to teach a child than making the child learn something by rote. But the changes were seen as jeopardizing the future of the child in the long run, seen from the view point of  the kids having to compete with students who are the products of a more “regular” school and who , it was assumed, would have an edge when it came to the Board exams.  So this was fought tooth and nail by just about everyone, the aspiring parents, the political parties having their own axe to grind, the teachers themselves, who would have to be more active themselves in preparing the lessons and related projects and so on.

    Kerala is in the middle of another  huge such controversy right now. This time the furore is over some of the lessons in the Social Studies textbook prescribed for the seventh standard , in the Government schools. The Congress led opposition , its Christian and muslim factions, the B.J.P and the Nair Service Society, are all kicking up a huge ruckus. Textbooks are being burnt, protest marches being held all over the place everyday and threats are being thrown about that no school would be allowed to teach the controversial textbook.

     Curious to know what the contents of the book were, I borrowed a copy from the neighbour’s  son.  The lessons are mostly in the form of excerpts about the history of  of Kerala , focussing on the social and economic inequities that was once part of our  fabric and which have been done away with or improved through legislations , reformist movements and education. The lessons are designed in a manner to encourage the students to understand the implications of the changes and form their own opinions. The book has  been prepared by the State Council for Educational Research and Training.

    The following is the lesson which is the eye of the storm brewing in God’s own country:

 No religion for Jeevan

Jeevan’s parents came to school seeking admission for him. The parents were seated on the chairs and the Headmaster started to fill up the application form.

“What is the name of your son?”

 “Jeevan”

 “ Good, nice name; Father’s name?”

  “Anwar Rasheed”

 “Mother’s name?”

“Lakshmi Devi”.

The Head master looked at the parents and asked, “What about the religion of the child?”

“Need not record anything. Write no religion.”

“Caste?”

“No need of that too”

The Headmaster reclined in the chair and asked seriously, “When he grows up, if he wishes to have a religion?”

“In that case , let him choose the religion of his choice”

 Below it is an excerpt from the will and testament of Jawarhar Lal  Nehru.

“I do sincerely desire to declare that no religious ceremony be perormed for me after my death. I do not believe in any such ceremonies. To be forced to do them even as a formality is hypocricy and an attempt to scare us and others.”

  The lesson continues thus:-

“Now we read in the papers the fight between man and man in the name of religion and faith. What are the instructions of religions which aim at mutual love regarding human behaviour?”

   There are quotes from the Mahabaratha, the Bible, Prophet Mohammed and Guru Nanak and then there is this activity for the Display Board:-

   “All religions aim at the virtue of man. Teach to live in toleration. We can experience many occasions in which people belonging to different religions work together. Collect newspaper reports, notes , notices etc and display on the Board:”

    This lesson which stresses on the desirability of  religion ( or lack of it) being  a matter of personal choice and not being made  the divisive tool that it has become over time, is what has made the opposition parties see “RED”. According to them , it is an attempt by the Left Government to implant on young minds, communist ideologies and to promote materialism as against spirituality and so on and so forth. The controversy is not likely to die down in a hurry as all those  who have a stake in the elections, which are not far away, would want to pitch in and try and swing the electorate one way or another.

     As I mentioned, I am constantly amazed at the level of involvement of the general public in Kerala. So while the political parties are at their own games, there are countless others who are objectively looking at the textbooks and its lessons and are applauding the concepts that are being put forth. For better or for worse, the lesson “No Religion for Jeewan” brings to the foreground, issues that all of us should be confronting…..

    Shouldn’t the choice of a religion one wants to follow, if at all, be an adult decision and not something one grows up with, just because it is ingrained into us in our childhood …?

    Is religion relevant if it stokes the fires of hatred and violence instead of motivating us to love our neighbours as we love ourselves, irrespective of religions denominations ?