Anna University faces heat as it proposes Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads for engineering students

• Tamil Nadu’s technical varsity Anna University is facing heat as it proposed introducing ‘Philosophy’ as a subject for engineering students.
  
• The university plans to teach Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads to postgraduate students.
  
• This move fired a debate in the state, criticising it for imposing of Sanskrit and Hindu religion.
  
• The university has rolled out six audit courses (non-mandatory) in all for the overall personality development of the students, following the guidelines of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Tamil Nadu’s technical varsity Anna University is facing heat as it plans to teach the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita as a part of ‘Philosophy’ to engineering students.

The university plans to teach the mentioned scriptures as part of audit course, which is not mandatory, to postgraduate students. The university said that ‘Srimad Bhagavad Gita’ by Swami Swarupananda can aid in personality development.

This fired a debate in the state. M K Stalin, President of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) said that "It is condemnable to attempt imposition of Sanskrit by making philosophy compulsory in the syllabus of Anna University's CEG campus."

The university responded by saying that the students are free to choose any audit course, and it is not a compulsion to go with Philosophy. "We are not imposing anything, in fact, we are not teaching Sanskrit at all," it argued.

The university rolled out six audit courses in all as per the guidelines of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

"To provide students with well-rounded development, we are introducing more and more courses in humanities," the university noted.

Demanding withdrawal of the subject from the engineering syllabus, CPI (M) state unit secretary K Balakrishnan said, "This is against the principles of secularism. Introducing the teaching of a particular religion in a syllabus studied by students from all faiths and the state government standing by that, is not acceptable."

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