* 'Hijab' instead of 'Kitab' *

          'Don't judge a book by its cover '

                        - George Eliot

here idiom impact has a deep connotation, but in India, it’s still vague to us or to our politicians. We unreliably judge someone’s character, profession, religion by his/her dressing style, livelihood, and other things and later victimize them.

         

India is like a bouquet of a variety of flowers. Here religion, attire, culture, tradition change from state to state. Well, this makes us unique from other nations. But for a few years, the world has been watching us as a polemic face.

Now the new controversy before the country is Hijab,

         

The news from Karnataka, where girl students are not allowed to attend class as they are wearing a cloth which is tradition in Islam. Many people even don’t know the true meaning of the Hijab, although they are taking bias stand over this. Hijab is concept of religious modesty and privacy, which means covering the head up to the neck with a scarf. Many relate it with Burkha, it’s not that.

          First of all, Religion should be kept away from educational lobbies. There is no religious credo, practices should teach or follow on school/college premises. But in Karnataka’s case, there was no proper uniformity on dressing by Education Dept. that brings the row for controversy. Denying these girls from education and that for dressing reasons is not defensible. Here I want to highlighten that the government’s flagship scheme ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ is futile as they spent 80% of funds on just ads.

          If we see the whole scenario carefully, we will understand the purpose behind this. The prime motto is to make religious polarization, which is benefited to political agenda. Tell me, why not Turban of Sikh brothers become a matter of controversy? Why are some of the politicians entering into Constitutional institutions in religious attire, that too when our constitution is secular? It's a pure political line-up, communal card is being played. Now, the SC has been taken Suo moto on this and ordered Karnataka HC to take an apt decision.

          A few days before, a video went viral of a Muslim student wearing Burkha who was harassed by Hindutva hooligans on the benefit of Shri Ram, which was disturbing. Did we forget the preaching of nationalism? 

Remember – ‘मजहब नही सिखाता आपस में बैर रखना…’. Fundamentalism has been sowing by some of us on the religious title, which is the alarming challenge before us.

We are living in such a phase where wearing Hijab is undesirable for women and wearing jeans that too is objectionable.

        

            It entitles us with two very vivid opinion based question,

Are our schools being careless in implementing strict uniform code which was meant to eradicate all differences of Caste, creed and religion among students OR Our Politicians have fallen to such shamelessness that to even use Education and Future of Innocent Kids to fulfill their Political Agendas. It puts us in grave concern.

- Tejas Shelake

Image Courtesy:

img1. planetofstudents.com

img2. @sadiq_cfi/Twitter

img3. The Quint