JNU might re-start yoga, culture courses

Six months after the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) junked a proposal to introduce short-term courses in ‘Indian Culture’ and ‘Yoga’ for propagating spiritual and mythological traditions and establishing Indian values in the world, the university has decided to reconsider the plan.

A decision in this regard was taken last week at a meeting of the university’s Academic Council (AC), its statutory decision-making body. “A draft of the proposed course structure was rejected in the AC last year. The matter was again raised in the recent meeting. There was opposition from certain teachers, while some favoured it. Ultimately, it was decided to reconsider the same,” a council member said.

“Vice-Chancellor Jagadesh Kumar has directed the departments to rework on the proposed course structure and place the same before the AC,” the member added.

The proposal to introduce three short-term courses in these subjects had come last year against the backdrop of right-wing organisations, including RSS, insisting on the propagation of culture on educational campuses to promote India's rich heritage and restore its cultural identity.