Hindu Americans Oppose Textbook Edits by Curriculum Commission

Over 100 Hindu Americans assembled in Sacramento, Calif., March 24 to voice their concerns regarding the California Department of Education Instructional Quality Commission’s plans to accept edits made by a group of South Asian studies faculty members. The proposed edits seek to remove references to India and Hinduism, and replace them with the terms “South Asia” and “ancient Indian religion,” respectively.

Some of the proposed edits, according to the Hindu American Foundation, include eliminating mention of Hinduism’s acceptance of religious diversity, and the contributions of Hindu sages of different backgrounds such as Valmiki and Vyasa.

The IQC voted to reject some of the proposed changes after public awareness campaigns, including letters from professors of religion and history who disputed the faculty group’s assertions.

During the public comment period, HAF, along with other Hindu organizations, community members, as well as non-Hindus, testified on inaccuracies in the proposed edits and the last-minute process by which they were initially uniformly accepted after prior recommendations from numerous academics were rejected. They argued that edits would erase their religious and cultural histories and urged the commission to reject the changes. They also asked the commissioners to adopt a more inclusive and culturally competent framework document.

The community’s efforts were also supported by a coalition of 20 government leaders and elected officials, including Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), state Senator Steven M. Glazer (District 7) and several local leaders.

“Our concerns remain with how many of these edits were accepted, particularly in the commission’s apparent privileging of one group of scholars over the views of many others,”Murali Balaji, HAF’s director of Education and Curriculum Reform, stated in a press release. He noted that the commission had previously ignored an identical set of proposed edits when it was submitted by an individual scholar, but then accepted it after the submission was rebranded as the “South Asia faculty group.”

“I think we all support free and vigorous academic discourse and diverse views on how religions and cultures evolved,” Balaji said. “But giving esteem to one group over the views of many other distinguished academics is troubling.”

“Academic battles shouldn’t necessarily be fought in a sixth and seventh grade curriculum document,” he added. “Such battles can impede upon teachers’ ability to provide accurate and culturally competent instruction to their students, which in turn will adversely impact both Hindu and non-Hindu California students.”

In addition, Hindu American school children from across the state also spoke about the impact of inaccurate and culturally illiterate content on their lives.

“Having studied the Vedas, I proudly wear my sacred thread as a symbol of my earnest study and scholarship, as did my mother and foremothers before her,” said 12-year-old Vaidehi Dandekar, a seventh grade student from El Cerrito, Calif. “As a young woman, I am proud that my enthusiasm and achievement in studying the Vedas is simply reflective of the long tradition of scholarship and oral storytelling by women….and men…..in India’s rich history.”

The IQC will publish its revised set of recommendations two weeks before the May 11 State Board of Education hearing. HAF said it will continue to work with community members, educators and various officials to ensure that the Board adopts a document that is inclusive of Hindus and a better resource for teachers across the state.

This story was originally published on India West.