Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said that the plan to make India number one country in the world was at the heart of his government’s Deshbhakti curriculum, and urged the teachers to instil true patriotic feelings in their students.
Speaking at the Thyagraj stadium on the completion of one year of the curriculum that was announced by the Delhi government last year as part of its Deshbhakti Budget 2021-22, Kejriwal said, “Three goals of this curriculum are to make sure that students learn to keep India first, remember the sacrifices made by the freedom fighters and to understand our responsibilities as a citizen. Over the last years, we have introduced happiness classes, entrepreneurship and Deshbhakti classes. I think these are first of their kind experiments all over the world, and these ideas will one day spread all over the world.”
“Political leaders will not make the country number one. It is the 130 crore people who will make the country number one. I request teachers to instil the spirit of making India the number one country in the world among their students,” the Delhi chief minister said.
The Delhi government launched Deshbhakti Curriculum on September 28, 2021. According to a Delhi government official, nearly 36,000 teachers impart ‘Deshbhakti classes’ daily for students of nursery to Class 8 and twice a week for students in Classes 9-12. The curriculum is taught through activity and discussion. At the end of each class, students reflect and introspect on the daily chapter.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the curriculum has not only transformed the students but teachers as well. “Earlier, they used to see them as students but now they see a deshbhakt in them. The impact of the Deshbhakti curriculum is that students are not only clearing the physical garbage around them but they are also wiping out rotten notions out of their minds,” said Sisodia, who is also the education minister.
The event began with musical performances by Delhi government school students followed by ‘deshbhakti meditation’. Also, several students and teachers shared their experiences over the last one year. Vanshika, a student of Class 10 at a government school in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar said she learned about the evil of casteism during a Deshbhakti class.
Kejriwal said that there are several instances in life where our self-interest is in conflict with the nation’s interest. “If we act in self-interest, we will cause a loss to the country. We should work for the nation selflessly. Secondly, we realised that we are forgetting our freedom fighters and our freedom struggle. We have forgotten how we got independence. We forgot the sacrifices of so many peoples and the atrocities they suffered. Through this curriculum, we teach them about their lives and ensure that they remember them forever. Thirdly, we ensure that students understand their civic responsibilities,” he added.
Sakshi Kumari, a student from government school in JJ Colony Nangloi said that earlier she used to think that loving the country was patriotic but her understanding has become more comprehensive. “Even the person sweeping the roads is patriot if he is doing his duties towards the country. People can be patriot by doing their work honestly with dignity of labour,” she added. Student Tanisha Sharma from Sagarpur government school said that we used to hear about the word deshbhakti but we never understood what it meant. “Earlier, i used to associate patriotism only with border and war but it can be done by working for the betterment of society. If we keep our house and country clean and not litter garbage, we are deshbhakts,” Sharma said.
Neetu Gulati, the nodal in-charge of SKV Shankar Nagar said that this curriculum has quite a very positive impact. “We have developed a sense of respect in our students. They have become very responsible. A lot has changed even in young children with a sense of responsibility and ownership. Students seek tasks when there is a free period to utilize the time meaningfully,” she added.
The students of Grades 6-also 12 maintain a Deshbhakti Diary where they note their reflections. “Each class begins with a Deshbhakti Dhyaan where mindfulness targeted towards remembering any five deshbhakts and expressing gratitude towards them for their service happens. Content includes themes around exploring love and respect for the country, understanding patriotism, identifying strengths and challenges of India,” official added.