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Charter of the INTERNATIONAL
FORUM FOR INDIA’S HERITAGE (IFIH) |
1.
It is the birthright of every Indian man, woman and child
to have full access to and imbibe India’s cultural
heritage in complete freedom.
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2.
Making humankind truly human is the foremost function of
any genuine culture, and this has been a central preoccupation
of India’s heritage. The roots of Indian civilization
include certain timeless and universal values without which
a human being is incomplete or limited. Among those values
are:
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Universality and Oneness: “The whole
world is one family” (vasudhaiva kutumbakam)
sums up the Indian spirit according to which “humanity
is one” (ekaiva manushi jatih) without
divisions of colour, religion, belief, sex or social
origin. The whole creation is seen as profoundly
interconnected.
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Man’s Divine Potential: Because the
whole creation is seen as divine, because the Infinite
is present in the finite, every human being has
in him or her a divine potentiality, and the purpose
of human life is to work out that potentiality to
its fullest.
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Pluralism and Synthesis: There is no single
approach to the Truth, no single path to human fulfilment.
Any sincere approach is valid so long as it leads
to a growth of consciousness, does not seek to impose
itself on anyone by any means, and does not claim
to be the sole path to the Truth. Starting from
the Vedic vision that “The Existent is one,
but sages call it by various names,” the ancient
heritage of India has promoted assimilation and
ever-wider synthesis.
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3.
The above values are part of what India has called dharma,
a term which cannot be reduced to a few tenets or dogmas,
and cannot be the exclusive property of any clergy or sect.
Dharma therefore cannot be regarded as religion, but is
a law of growth and evolution of our inner being and power
until they rule the whole of life.
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4.
Since Independence, the Western notion of “secularism”
has been promoted in Indian life and in education in particular.
But instead of developing a vast comprehensiveness in conformity
with India’s spiritual genius, the term has come to
promote materialism, cultural nihilism, protection of exclusivism,
and consequently marginalization and alienation of Indian
heritage. Secularism in the West was born as a reaction
against dogmatic religions and their hold on political power;
though a great step forward in Western history, it has no
relevance in the Indian context, where the native concept,
largely practised in ancient India, is freedom of belief
and religion and equal treatment by the State of different
sects or religions. However, the State also has a duty to
ensure that any religion practised in India respects the
country’s pluralistic ethos.
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5.
The great need of reform and progress of Indian society
is acknowledged, but no solution will be durable if it is
not in sympathy with the foundations of Indian culture.
In the words of Sri Aurobindo: “The spirit and ideals
of India had come to be confined in a mould which, however
beautiful, was too narrow and slender to bear the mighty
burden of our future.... Break the mould that the soul may
live.” To keep the soul of India alive is the key
to all long-lasting reform.
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6.
India's centuries-old influence over other civilizations
and cultures — including modern, materialistic Western
civilization — has been considerable. It is but natural
that an Indian child should know something of the heritage
native to his or her land, especially as countless great
Indians have declared it to be at the core of India’s
genius. No one, therefore, has a right to deny Indian children
a basic knowledge of it. As many great Indians such as Swami
Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma
Gandhi and others have stressed (some of their thoughts
are quoted in Appendix), education in India must seek to
include timeless values such as those outlined above, which
have to do not with religion, but with culture in the true
sense of the term, and belong more to the future than to
the past. No excuse of misconceived “secularism”
can be allowed to deprive Indian children of access to such
values, which have lost none of their power to fashion a
better human being and build national character. Excellence
in education must go hand in hand with a well-designed teaching
of the living elements of Indian culture, which whenever
possible should be integrated in the regular subjects rather
than taught separately.
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7.
Central to Indian heritage is the spirit of inquiry, which
the present system of education has failed to stimulate
in Indian children. One effective remedy is to introduce
in education some roots of Indian heritage born on the subcontinent,
such as:
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science of Yoga (theory and practice, experimentation
and verification);
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stories and ethical teachings from ancient Indian
texts such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Ramayana and
Mahabharata, from Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and
from Indian tribal traditions;
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emphasis on works like the Bhagavad Gita for their
great ethical value;
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Indian classics from Kalidasa and other authors;
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Tamil epics (especially the Shilappadikaram), classics
like the Kural, and some Sangam poetry; elements
from early regional literatures;
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collections of stories of educational value (such
as the Panchatantra), including folk stories from
various regions of India;
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introduction to the world-view and chief discoveries
of ancient Indian science (mathematics, astronomy,
etc.), technology and medicine;
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Indian art (dance, music, painting, architecture,
folk art etc.) with emphasis on the practical aspects
of Indian aesthetics.
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8.
As early as 1956, the Sanskrit Commission, calling Sanskrit
“the bedrock of Indian speech and literature and the
artistic and cultural heritage of the country,” complained
that “no positive steps had been taken for helping
Sanskrit [… and] Sanskrit has not been allowed to
enjoy even the status and facilities it had under the British
Raj.” So too the Supreme Court in a 1994 judgement
rightly stressed the “importance of Sanskrit for nurturing
our cultural heritage.” Yet little has been done to
give Sanskrit its due place in education and in national
life. Its spread must be encouraged, at least in a simplified
form, not only as part of regular studies but through numerous
cultural events. Classical Tamil too deserves more encouragement
than it has received.
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9.
Archaeology and preservation of monuments, including temples
and pilgrimage sites, of traditional crafts and techniques,
have also not received adequate attention and development
in post-Independence India. A better understanding of India’s
past is needed to build her future on a sound foundation,
and central elements of her past civilization must be studied
and preserved as part of India’s and the world’s
heritage. Visits to such heritage sites should be part of
regular studies from school level upward.
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10.
India’s natural environment has suffered much in recent
decades and its degradation is approaching a point of irreversibility.
Although many are trying to limit or reverse the damage,
a harmonious material growth will prove sustainable only
if it integrates India’s ancient attitude to Nature,
viewing it not as a dead mass of “natural resources”
to be plundered, but an aspect of our common Mother whose
gifts are to be shared. India’s traditional knowledge
systems as regards conservation and use of biodiversity,
health and medicine, and a humane treatment of animals,
also require urgent attention so their neglected potential
may be tapped.
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11.
Indian heritage, with its emphasis on universality, is part
of world heritage and must be preserved not only for India
but for all humanity. In particular, people of Indian origin
living abroad should be encouraged to nurture it and transmit
it to their children.
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12.
This International Forum for India’s Heritage shall
remain strictly apolitical, non-religious, and free from
all ideological allegiance. It is open to all individuals
or organizations, in India or abroad, that adhere to the
above eleven points, understand their importance, and will
support efforts to have them spread, accepted and implemented.
The Forum shall function by consensus on the basis of the
Charter; in case of disagreement as to the practical methods
to follow, the final decision will be left to the consensus
of the core group of founder members.
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See
also the Appendix to IFIH’s Charter:
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