The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda has started undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Hindu Studies. The BA and MA in Hindu Studies will be three years and two years courses, respectively. The degree courses will be introduced in the new academic year. The admission process for the same has started and interested applicants can register at msubaroda.ac.in.
The course will consist of study of Bhagwad Gita, Ramayana, Ayurveda, Hindu philosophy, yoga, Vedas, Upanishads, Bhakti movement, Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shakti Tradition, Buddha and Jain tradition, etc.
This, however, is not the first time a varsity will be teaching Hindu Studies. Earlier, the Banaras Hindu University introduced a master’s course on Hindu Studies. The varsity claimed it is an interdisciplinary programme, which is in line with the new National Education Policy 2020.
BA Hindu Studies
The three years graduation programme will impart basic knowledge of Hindu civilization and articulate the position of Hindu values in the present context, reads the official notice. The course will help students understand Hindu conceptions of individuals, family, relationships, society, state, environment and the entire cosmos. The programme offers various interdisciplinary subjects including Yogashastra, Natyashastra, Kavyashastra, Vastushastra, and Sthapatya, etc.
As many as 60 students will be admitted in a year for the course. Students who have cleared class 12 or equivalent are eligible to apply for the course. The form and entrance fee is Rs 300 and after admission, the annual fee would be Rs 14000.
MA Hindu Studies
The two years master programme “attempts to retrieve the resource pool of knowledge on Hindu Darshan and its spiritual traditions.” It has been designed to showcase the importance of Hindu studies in a rapidly changing technological society. The course aims to enable students to understand their roots and face the challenges of modern times, reads the notice.
Through the programme, students will be acquainted with the past and present of Hindu darshan and study its infra-relationship with the world. After completing the course, students can opt for careers in teaching, research, consultants, writers, philosophers, etc, says the varsity.
Students who have completed graduation with science, technology, social sciences, or humanities can apply for the course. Just like the BA in Hindu Studies, the MA too will have 60 seats. The form fee is Rs 400 and Rs 14000 per year for students admitted to the course.
While introducing the course, Dilip Kataria, Assistant Professor, Department of History, Maharaja Sayajirao University said, “We have been discussing this course for six months. Its workshops have also been conducted and the professors have also been trained. We are going to start a 3-year bachelor’s and two-year master’s degree course.”
Meanwhile, educationist and sociologist Manishi Jani had said that it is wrong to divide education on the basis of religion. If students have to study culture, teach them Indian culture, which includes the diversity of each religion and culture. Teaching Hindu Studies is a pro-curriculum course also violates the constitution as it says religion is a matter of personal choice. This type of curriculum will narrow the mindset rather than benefit the student.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking Newswatch Top Videos and Live TV here.