Ramayana, Mahabharata, Ramsetu to be taught to engineering students in MP Colleges

Bhopal: The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh has announced plans to include Ramayana, Mahabharata as well as lessons on Ramsetu in the revised curriculum for the engineering students in the state. For the medical stream, students will be offered the option of studying medicine in Hindi.

"We are going to form a committee at the earliest to ensure that medical education courses are prepared in Hindi as well. In the near future, we will start medical studies in Hindi too," said the state's Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang.

On the recommendation of the syllabus committee for higher education, "Ramcharit Manas Ke Vyavharik Darshan" (Applied philosophy of Ramcharitmanas) has been introduced as an elective course for first-year BA students from the academic session of 2021-22.

This will have a 100-mark question paper and include topics such as "Spirituality and religion in root sources of Indian culture", "Four ages in Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas", "Difference between Ramayana and Shri Ramcharitmans" and "Incarnation of divine existence".

In the foundation course for English, a preface to Mahabharata by C Rajagopalchari will be taught to first-year students. The objective, according to the order, is to help students develop "leadership ability and humanistic attitude by focusing on various dimensions of personality development".

There is also a proposal to include the biographies of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founder Dr KB Hedgewar, Bharatiya Jan Sangh chief Deen Dayal Upadhyaya and Dr BR Ambedkar among other leaders as part of the first-year foundation course in medicine to instil social and medical ethics in students.

Higher Education Minister Mohan Yadav said the changes were meant to "bring our glorious past to the fore". The syllabus is being implemented "on the recommendation of scholars", he added, countering Congress allegations of "saffronisation of education".

"It has been proved by a NASA study that Ram Setu was a man-made bridge built millions of years ago," he said.

Congress leader Arif Masood told reporters that it would have been better if the BJP government had added Guru Granth Sahib, Quran and Bible along with Ramcharitmanas. "Children will get more information and the spirit of the country's constitution will also be fulfilled," he said.

Madhya Pradesh had made an effort towards having a Hindi curriculum for higher studies earlier. In 2011, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Hindi University was established in the state for engineering and medical education in Hindi.

But even after 10 years, it has made no headway. The engineering stream was discontinued in 2018 for want of adequate faculty, translated syllabus, books and students. Medical studies in Hindi have not been started to date.

In terms of strength, the university has eight peons and two drivers; 74 departments are being handled by 29 teachers -- all guest faculty. No recruitment has taken place in the last 10 years.