In a recent wave of syllabus revisions at Delhi University, academic waters have been stirred by contentious changes that some faculty members and scholars are denouncing as politically driven rather than academically sound.
From the omission of significant figures like Mohammad Iqbal, to the replacement of Gandhi’s teachings with Savarkar’s ideology, and the scrubbing of terms like ‘brahmanical’, these shifts are prompting questions about the integrity of the university’s academic agenda.
The revisions, rolled out in May, have set off alarms among educators and academics who see a more insidious agenda at play. For example, the academic council of the university passed a motion in May, to remove a chapter on Pakistan’s national poet Muhammad Iqbal, also known as Allama Iqbal, from a chapter titled ‘Modern Indian Political Thought’, which was part of BA Political Science sixth-semester syllabus.
Professors of Political Science and History at DU believe that Iqbal was never a threat to the national ideology. Hence, excising a critically acclaimed poet from the syllabus after so many years smacks of nothing but political interests.
The University of Delhi in a statement justified the decision to remove the unit on Iqbal saying that he had laid the foundation of partition of India and therefore should not be included in the syllabus.
DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh said in a proposed statement, “Instead of teaching such individuals, we should study our national heroes.”
The ‘National Heroes’ Narrative
The Vice Chancellor’s justification for this particular change—that Iqbal laid the foundation for India’s partition—ignores the nuanced history and contributions of the poet. In a world where education should encourage the exploration of diverse perspectives, the reduction of Iqbal to a divisive figure erases his contributions to literature and thought, potentially depriving students of a more comprehensive understanding of history.
Savarkar’s Surprising Ascension
The replacement of a paper on Mahatma Gandhi with one on Savarkar further raised many eyebrows.
Earlier, a proposal to remove Gandhi was not approved by the academic council. But now a chapter on Veer Savarkar has found a place as an elective in B.A. fifth semester syllabus while the chapter on Gandhi has been held for seventh semester.”
Meaning, under the new education policy, students opting for a three-year graduation course instead of a four-year will not get to study Gandhi. However, the decision has been hailed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
V-C Yogesh Singh, expressed his deep respect by including Savarkar’s teachings in the paper on nationalism after 75 years of Independence. He further says, “Savarkar was a freedom fighter who sacrificed and suffered for all of us. He was held in Cellular Jail in Andaman where he faced grave atrocities.
Meanwhile, Political Science professor at DU, Biswajit Mohanty commented about the latest revisions as less related to educational enrichment and more about endorsing specific political viewpoints
Changing – Terminologies
At the heart of these controversial revisions, is the alteration of terminologies, such as replacing ‘brahmanical’ with ‘Indian’. This modification came in the context of a paper on women in Indian history titled “Rise and Fall of Hindu Woman”. While the stated intention might be to provide a more inclusive term, it potentially obscures the systemic inequalities associated with ‘brahmanical patriarchy’ and a critical examination of a specific power structure.
The academic council also revised the History syllabi for the fourth and fifth semesters under the new Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP). A few of the changes include deletion of the words such as “brahminization” and “brahmanical”, removal of paper on “Inequality and Differences” that emphasized key issues across Indian history, such as ‘varna’, ‘jati’, class, caste, and gender.
Academic Council’s Dissent
DU also proposed to drop an elective course on Dr B.R. Ambedkar from an UG course on Philosophy but the suggestion was met with strong opposition from the Department of Philosophy. According to a new Indian Express report, suggestion was first made on May 8 and it was taken up in the curriculum meeting on May 12. However, after much opposition, the academic council decided to retain it with few changes.
All That Has Changed in Syllabus
- Chapter on Md. Iqbal dropped
- Paper on Gandhian Studies replaced with Savarkar
- Term Brahmanical’ dropped from a research paper title
- Chapter on Inequality and Difference Scrapped
- Paper on the Economics of Discrimination from BA Economics ‘Replaced’
