Chaddi Miracle in Haryana: Teachers forcibly turned into priests on govt orders

by Guest Wed Nov 01, 2017 9:06 pm

* Parmod Kumar, Govt school Sanskrit teacher; Current duty: Pujari at Shri Maha Kapaleshwar Temple
* Sanjiv Kumar, Govt school PTI teacher; Current duty: Pujari at Shiv Temple
* Jai Krishan, acting Govt school headmaster; Current duty: Safed Gau Bachachha Temple
* Mohan Lal, Govt school Hindi teacher; Current duty: Safed Gau Bachachha Temple
Sitting before photos of Shiva and Parvati at the Shri Maha Kapaleshwar Temple, Parmod Kumar has been offering prasad to devotees. He has also been accepting chadava (offerings), including sweets and clothes.

The 51-year-old is among 91 government school teachers who have been officially assigned the duties of pujaris (priests) at temples in Bilaspur town during the six-day Kapal Mochan Mela that started October 30 in Yamunanagar district of Haryana. The teachers are reluctant to speak on their new assignment but their union has been vocal, saying such duties adversely affect studies in government schools.

Many teachers did not turn up for a session on October 29 to impart them training as pujaris. Bilaspur's Sub Divisional Magistrate Naveen Ahuja, also the Mela Administrator, then wrote a letter to District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) Suresh Kumar, attaching a list of teachers absent from duty. Ahuja asked the DEEO to instruct the teachers to be present for training next day or face departmental proceedings...

But Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal, who was Haryana Education Minister from 2009 to October 2014, said, "Such an issue (appointment of teachers as pujaris) never came to my notice earlier. This is just an attempt at saffronisation of education. Teachers are already overburdened with activities like Yoga Day, sanitation campaign, Beti Bachao campaign, marathon race, arranging radios for students so that they can listen to Prime Minister's 'Mann Ki Baat', apart from training teachers. Haryana already faces a shortage of teachers."

This is true of Parmod Kumar's school. Since he is now a pujari, no teacher is left to teach Sanskrit and Hindi to his 72 students at the Government Middle School in Balachor in Yamunanagar district. "I am performing my duty as per the order of the administration," Kumar said when he was asked about his new role....

Yamunanagar's Deputy Commissioner Rohtash Singh Kharb's October 27 order shows that teachers of almost all subjects have been assigned duties of pujaris. "Any lapse in duty would be viewed seriously," Kharb warned in the official order.

The Yamunanagar district unit of Haryana Vidyalaya Adhyapak Sangh held an emergency meeting Monday to criticise the administration's move. Jagpal Singh, district secretary of the teachers' body, said, "The primary duty of teachers is to teach students. They should not be burdened with additional duties."

Echoing similar sentiments, Wazir Singh, president of the Adhyapak Sangh, said, "We live in a secular country. Teachers should not be assigned duties of religious matters of a particular religion because similar demands to assign duties to teachers for religious functions of other religions will also be raised."

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/on-haryana-govts-order-teachers-turn-priests-at-temples-in-bilaspur-4918454/