Relevance : GS Paper II
Context
The headmaster of a government school in Uttar Pradesh was suspended for asking students to sing religious prayers in the morning assembly.
Do prayers in the morning assembly amount to giving religious instruction?
Yes:
- According to Article 28(3) it is not required for a child to attend religious instructions of state-funded schools.
- It contradicts the spirit of rationality and compromises on scientific temper.
- Religion has contributed to ethics but have also led to bloodshed.
No:
- There is no distinction between the aesthetics of a song and [of] a poem that has spiritual overtones.
- Bhajans are very basic to the cultural and literary traditions of the entire Hindi belt.
- Direct religious instruction has to be distinguished from traditions of religion which are part of a cultural ethos of the country.
- Article 51A of the Constitution says citizens should cherish and follow the noble ideals of those who guided our freedom struggle. Therefore, bhajans such as those of Gandhi’s cannot be banned.
Conclusion
We need greater autonomy and a far greater intellectual space to engage with our heritage.
