Nishank asks to teach Mughal prince's works in Madrasa

Human Resource Development (HRD) minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has pitched for “familiarising” students studying in Madrasas with “ancient” Indian culture and philosophy.

Holding a meeting wisth senior officials of the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) on Thursday, Nishank asked them to make available Mughal prince Dara Shikoh's books on Indian culture and civilization to “every home” and all the Madrasas.

“Availability of such books is needed in Madrasas too, so that the Madrasa students get familiar with the Indian culture and the philosophy, and also get similar job opportunities,” the NCPUL in a statement quoted the minister as saying during the meeting.

The HRD minister noted that Shikoh had written a lot on Indian culture and civilization in Persian, asking the officials to get the Mughal prince books translated into Urdu and other languages.

“Translation of books on India’s ancient civilizations and philosophy (into various languages) and making them available to every home is our responsibility,” the minister said.

The NCPUL vice-chairman Professor Shahid Akhtar, director Sheikh Aqeel Ahmad and executive board member Mazahir Khan were present at the meeting chaired by the HRD minister.

Shikoh was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal, while speaking at a symposium on 'Dara Shikoh: A hero of the Indian syncretist traditions' recently, described the Mughal prince as “an epitome of Indianness.”

“Dara was a prince who translated Upnishads into Persian. He discussed and debated it with intellectuals. He knew the God was only one and there were different faiths to find him. Dara was never divisive. He understood the assimilative power of society and tried to establish compatibility while remaining a true Muslim,” the senior RSS functionary said.

The NCPUL has plans to get Shikoh's books translated into Urdu from Persian. During the meeting, the HRD minister took stock of the functioning of the NCPUL and underscored the need to bring more scheme for promotion of the Urdu language.

He directed the Council's officials to send the ministry proposals for new schemes.