Santha Kumar, Ph.D.

Dear Mr. Narender Modi, Kindly, treat this post as a serious concern from an Indian who dotes and respects her nation. I have to a great extent given up my attachment to my regional identity as a Kashmiri Hindu whose roots were ripped apart in 1990 because of religious persecution but I will not, at any cost, compromise on my identity as an Indian and a Hindu which is why this post. You are in your third term which is phenomenal. Your work in infrastructure, science, sports, cultural revival is observable and now it’s time to look RTE right in its face and call it what it is. While minority institutions thrive with protected autonomy, Hindu children grow up institutionally estranged from their own heritage. My post is in the following 3 sections: ➡️The ills of RTE and what it does to Hindus ➡️ The consequences of this imbalance ➡️ What can be done 1. In India, the minority Institutions have autonomy and the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. This includes the right to teach religious texts, preserve culture, and operate with minimal state interference. What it means for Hindus: Christian schools teach Biblical values; madrasas teach Islamic theology and jurisprudence often funded or aided by the state, directly or indirectly but we Hindus can’t learn about their itihasa and dharma. 2. Even though our spiritual traditions are diverse and decentralised, Hindu-run schools must comply with RTE norms, cannot deny admission to outsiders under the 25% quota, and cannot legally mandate or prioritise religious instruction. This is despite the fact that Hinduism, unlike Abrahamic faiths, has no central authority, no formal “church,” and therefore relies heavily on community-level transmission e.g., gurukuls, temple schools, and oral traditions. What it means for Hindus: Most mainstream schools- CBSE, ICSE, state boards do not teach Hindu philosophy, epics, or rituals beyond superficial cultural references like Diwali holidays, or a Sanskrit shloka in the assembly. Hindu children don’t formally learn about: ❌ The Upanishads or Vedas ❌ Hindu cosmology or ethics (Dharma, Karma, Moksha) ❌ Regional practices and deities ❌ Philosophical schools like Vedanta, Nyaya, Sankhya Contrast this with Islamic or Christian institutions where religious texts are part of the curriculum. 3. Many Hindu youth grow up knowing more about Western philosophers or Abrahamic religions than their own. This leads to a vacuum of identity, where Hinduism is either reduced to festivals or viewed through the colonial lens of casteism and superstition. What it means for Hindus: With no structured value-based curriculum around Hindu ethos, the younger generation lacks intellectual grounding in their heritage. 4. In absence of institutional religious education, Hindu learning is outsourced to spiritual gurus or YouTube videos, some authentic, some not. What it means for Hindus: This creates fragmentation, misinformation, and a growing disconnect between tradition and modernity. Now, let’s talk about the consequences of this imbalance.⬇️ @narendramodi @ARanganathan72 @ShefVaidya @jsaideepak @davidfrawleyved @prachyam7 @SanjeevSanskrit 1/3