Books by Yogi Adityanath, Ramdev enter UP philosophy syllabus

The books deal with the use of yoga to cure illnesses and the ‘misconceptions’ surrounding its practice

Undergraduate philosophy students in the state of Uttar Pradesh will reportedly have books written by the state’s chief minister Yogi Adityanath and controversial yoga guru Ramdev as part of their syllabus.

Varsity authorities at Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) in Meerut, run by the state government, have already incorporated the books into its syllabus, multiple media outlets reported.

Adityanath’s Hathyoga Ka Swaroop va Sadhna and Baba Ramdev’s Yog Sadhna va Yog Chikitsa Rahasya, which extols yoga’s abilities to cure illnesses, will now be part of the second semester undergraduate philosophy curriculum at the university alongside Plato and Aristotle.

“The books recommended by the expert committee have a very high academic value. Especially the book by Adityanathji; it teaches the practical aspect of Yoga,” D N Singh, convener of the Board of Studies, CCSU told The Print.

“We need literature like this to learn about Yoga, our ancient science. Similarly, Ramdev’s book is also a good addition for Philosophy students because he is the Yoga guru… He has taken Yoga to the masses.”

Ramdev is currently embroiled in a war of words with doctors who practice modern medicine after he called allopathy a “stupid science” and pinned the blame for lakhs of deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic on the use of modern medicine.

The change in syllabus follows recommendations made by a committee formed by the state government to draw up a “common minimum syllabus” for all UP state universities and colleges that agrees with the New Education Policy 2020.

“We understand they are appalling recommendations — powerful people are forcing us to teach from their books, which are sub-standard,” a teacher at the university told the Telegraph on condition of anonymity. “Asking people to practise yoga isn’t the same thing as forcing them to read the books of people with half-baked knowledge.”

The Union cabinet-approved revamp of the country’s education policy includes eight mentions of yoga in the 65-page document and instructs educators to ensure “all students of allopathic medical education must have a basic understanding of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH), and vice versa.”