VHP rampage

While waiting for the Ram mandir, the VHP has turned tutor on Lord Rama. In December, it will set a 100-mark exam on the Ramayana ‘‘syllabus,’’ written by party spin doctors, evaluate papers and award prizes to over 200 best students.

So principal Joshi’s announcement and 10,000 copies of the Ramayana are weaving through classrooms of 127 schools in Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Satara and Solapur.

‘‘Harry Potter books are sold out, but books on cultural values never reach children. Ram is our superman. Children should learn about him, not Arnold,’’ says VHP Mumbai joint secretary Mohan Salekar who is also convenor of the Ramayana Study Scheme that will cost the party Rs 10 lakh.

VHP appeals to invite Ramayana into the weekly value education class were sent to 240 schools. The book, priced at Rs 10, is available in four languages with translations of Sanskrit words.

In between distributing books, VHP member Mangesh Munde keeps count of the target achieved. ‘‘By July 24, 14,365 students enrolled. Number of schools is 64 Marathi-medium, 27 English-medium, 22 Hindi-medium and 14 Gujarati-medium schools.’’

Not everyone, however, has the time to take them seriously. The appeal is buried inside files at the Hindi-medium Swami Vivekananda high school at Chembur. Principal Harishankar Upadhyaya says he’s busy with admissions. ‘‘I’ll decide when admissions are over.’’ But always zealous when dealing with Lord Rama, the party’s planning a rolling trophy as well.