Apoorvanand

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Apoorvanand
Personal details
BornSiwan, Bihar
NationalityIndian
ResidenceDelhi
Alma materPatna University
ProfessionProfessor

Apoorvanand is professor at the Hindi Department, Faculty of Arts, University of Delhi.[1] He is also a regular columnist and political commentator.

Early life and education[edit]

Apoorvanand was born in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, grew up in Siwan and received his undergraduate education from Bihar University. He earned his Masters and Ph.D. from Patna University.[2] He currently teaches Hindi at University of Delhi.

Academic career[edit]

Prof. Apoorvanand started his teaching career at T.P.S. College, Patna, a constituent unit of Magadh University. In 1999, he was invited to join Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, a Central University set up by the Government of India, and was instrumental in developing the University's vision plan and first academic programs. In 2004, he joined the Hindi Department at the University of Delhi where he was instrumental in redesigning the department's academic program.

Published works[edit]

He had authored or edited the following books:

  • Sundar Ka Swapna (New Delhi: Vani Prakashan, 2001)[3]
  • Sahitya Ka Ekant (New Delhi: Vani Prakashan, 2008)[4]
  • The Idea of a University (Chennai: Context, 2018)[5]
  • Education at the Crossroads (New Delhi: Niyogi Books, 2018)

Political commentator[edit]

His critical essays have appeared in all major Hindi journals. Apart from his academic and literary writings, he also contributes columns in Indian Newspapers and magazines on the issues of education, culture, communalism, violence and human rights both in Hindi and also in English.[6] He is a regular columnist at The Indian Express and The Wire. [7] [8] [9] He also frequently writes on other platforms such as Scroll, Satya Hindi, Al Jazeera, The Kochi Post. [10] [11] [12] [13] He at times also appears on Indian television as a panelist on issues concerning Higher Education, language and communal-ism.

Views[edit]

NCERT history textbook revision[edit]

In his literary and cultural criticism articles featured on Al Jazeera, he expressed his disapproval of the alterations made in NCERT textbooks. He argued that the history of Islamic rule in India was being marginalized, despite its significant presence in school textbooks since Indian independence. Specifically, he highlighted the revised syllabus in CBSE schools, stating that the "legacy" of Islamic rulers in India was being erased from history textbooks. Apoorvanand claims that this revision, under the guise of "reducing the learning load on students", was actually a form of "cultural genocide". He emphasized that this revision was leading to the exclusion of important historical events, such as the 2002 Gujarat riots, the assassination of Gandhi by Nathuram Godse, instances of untouchability, and the caste system. He believed that this omission would hinder children's understanding of national history by concealing crucial truths and presenting India as a nation devoid of discrimination and violence.[14]

However, it is to be noted that the official reason for changing the syllabus was stated as rationalization of curriculum.[14][15] On the contrary to Apoorvanand's views, a report by a think tank presented to the Parliamentary Committee on Education has shed light on the disproportionate focus given to Mughal rulers in NCERT textbooks when teaching Indian history to school children. The report revealed that with Emperor Akbar receiving 97 mentions, Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji only gets eight mentions. While other Mughal rulers like Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, and Jahangir had 30 references each, in stark contrast, Rajput kings Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap were almost “ignored” in the syllabus for school children.[16] Furthermore, the research report highlighted the biased emphasis on Muslim chroniclers like Ibn Battuta and social reform movements, neglecting the contributions of prominent figures like Kautilya (Chanakya), Bhaskaracharya, Aryabhatta, as well as social reformers like Swami Dayanand Saraswati and Swami Vivekananda. The study criticized NCERT textbooks for their focus on the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate in medieval history of India, while neglecting the rich history of other regional rulers and significant events. Additionally, it pointed out that in the chapters about modern India, Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru are given prominence, while leaders like Sardar Patel, Bhagat Singh, Surya Sen, and Khudiram Bose are rarely mentioned.[16]

Role in 2020 Delhi riots[edit]

On 12 September 2020, he along with Sitaram Yechuri, Yogendra Yadav and others was named in the supplementary chargesheet by Delhi Police for his alleged role in 2020 Delhi riots.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Department of Hindi, University of Delhi, Faculty". hindi.du.ac.in. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. ^ "MOOCs going global, giving access: miracle or myth?". British Council. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  3. ^ Sundar Ka Swapna. ISBN 817055781X.
  4. ^ "Details: Vani Prakashan". www.vaniprakashan.in. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  5. ^ The Idea of a University. ASIN 9387894258.
  6. ^ "Smriti Irani's next: Common syllabus for Central Universities - Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". Dnaindia.com. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Apoorvanand". The Indian Express. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Apoorvanand : Exclusive News Stories by Apoorvanand on Current Affairs, Events at The Wire". The Wire. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  9. ^ "अपूर्वानंद, Author at The Wire - Hindi". The Wire - Hindi. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Apoorvanand". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  11. ^ "अपूर्वानंद | Apoorvanand | सत्य हिन्दी | Satya Hindi". www.satyahindi.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  12. ^ Apoorvan (18 September 2019). "Apoorvanand, Author at KochiPost". KochiPost. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Apoorvanand". Apoorvanand. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  14. ^ a b Apoorvanand (13 April 2023). "India's textbook purge: Why is Modi so scared of history?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Purged from NCERT Textbooks: Hindu extremists' dislike for Gandhi, RSS ban after assassination". The Indian Express. 5 April 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Muslim rulers, social reform given excessive attention in NCERT, Kerala history textbooks: Report". Deccan Herald. July 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Yechury, Yadav, 2 professors, filmmaker named in Delhi Police riot chargesheet". 13 September 2020.

Further reading[edit]

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