Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut (popularly known as Meerut University) has confirmed that it will be including books on yoga by yoga guru Baba Ramdev and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the curriculum for post-graduate students of philosophy.
The Times of India reported on Tuesday Yogi Adityanath's Hathyoga Ka Swaroop va Sadhna and Ramdev's Yog Sadhna va Yog Chikitsa Rahasya would be part of first-year, second-semester undergraduate philosophy curriculum. These books could also be part of elective subjects taken by students studying other courses.
“The two books have been recommended by the state government and, therefore, been endorsed by the Board of Studies of the university,” Dr N.C. Lohani, a member of the Board Committee and head of the department of Hindi Arts, told The Times of India.
Lohani was quoted by The Telegraph as saying, "It (inclusion of books) was done keeping in view the need of the times." The Uttar Pradesh department of higher education had recommended the inclusion of the books for philosophy to the University Grants Commission.
Pro vice-chancellor of the university Professor Y. Vimla, told The Times of India, "The concept of the New Education Policy is that students must first be apprised of their ancient cultural heritage and taught about the architects of this heritage. For instance, when it comes to botany, we need to teach students about the ancient rishis who developed Ayurveda and the contributors to its evolutionary process.”
The Telegraph reported the books will be taught alongside the works of famous philosophers like Aristotle and Plato.
The Telegraph reported some teaching staff of Meerut University were unhappy with the decision. “We understand they are appalling recommendations—powerful people are forcing us to teach from their books, which are substandard... Asking people to practise yoga isn’t the same thing as forcing them to read the books of people with half-baked knowledge," The Telegraph quoted a teacher as saying.
The teacher, however, conceded that the Meerut University administration had agreed to teachers' demands to induct books of three "progressive" Hindi poets in the Hindi literature syllabus. “This was accepted immediately because they knew we would not otherwise approve the books by Adityanath and Ramdev," the teacher told The Telegraph.
