Proposal to include Manusmriti, Baburnama in History (Honours) syllabus to be withdrawn: DU V-C
In July last year, there was an uproar by a section of DU teachers over a proposal to introduce Manusmriti in the Faculty of Law's undergraduate programme as a suggested reading.
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The latest decision to incorporate Manusmriti and Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama), the memoir of Mughal emperor Babur, in the syllabus was approved by the History Department's Joint Committee of Courses on February 19.(Representative image/ file)Delhi University (DU) Vice-Chancellor (V-C) Yogesh Singh on Tuesday condemned a proposal to include Manusmriti and Tuzuk-i-Baburi (Baburnama) in the undergraduate History (Honours) syllabus, asserting that the university will not entertain content that fosters societal divisions and maintaining that he will withdraw the proposal.
However, The Indian Express has learnt that there is a difference of opinion within sections of the university regarding this decision. Some faculty members have argued that omitting such texts restricts academic inquiry.
The proposal, which was approved by the History Department’s Joint Committee of Courses on February 19, is yet to be cleared by DU’s Academic Council and Executive Council. Singh told The Indian Express on Tuesday that he will exercise his emergency powers to prevent it from being placed in the next Academic Council meeting.
“We are working hard to follow the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and contribute towards Viksit Bharat. Our sole focus is on that. This is the 21st century, and students of DU will not be studying such backward topics,” Singh said.
However, some faculty members from the History Department, including those in the Committee of Courses, defended the proposal to include Manusmriti, arguing that it is essential for understanding caste and gender discrimination.
“How can one understand caste and discrimination if they do not read Manusmriti? To understand inequality and discrimination, one must educate themselves. After all, that is what a university space should be all about,” a faculty member told The Indian Express.
Another faculty member questioned the exclusion of Baburnama, calling it an “unfair categorisation”. “When you label readings like Baburnama as readings of invaders, it is unfair. Can one learn about Rajputs without mentioning the Mughals? We are living in a period where we are coming up with selective definitions of the past. History is all about going back with the help of sources. Manusmriti has always been a part of the ancient history curriculum. One cannot teach ancient Indian history without understanding Manusmriti.”
While the Head of the History Department, Professor Shalini Shah, did not respond to calls or messages, a senior DU official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, questioned the selective focus on Manusmriti.
“There are various Smritis. Why should one only teach Manusmriti, which focuses on bashing and discrimination of individuals and backward thought? Why can’t we teach the other Smritis? These are initiatives taken by certain sections of professors who have political intentions and want to drag the university into a controversy,” the official said.
Officials said the History Department is scheduled to hold a review meeting next week to formally withdraw the suggested inclusion of Manusmriti and Baburnama.
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