The Hindu : National : Manmohan’s daughter did not write or compile book: Delhi University

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Manmohan’s daughter did not write or compile book: Delhi University

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Setting the record straight, Delhi University’s History Department on Thursday clarified that Upinder Singh, daughter of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, neither wrote nor edited the text that kicked up a storm over some “objectionable” references to Hindu gods.

“Dr. Upinder Singh is neither the editor nor compiler of a book on the Ramayana. Contrary to the impression created by the media, she has neither written nor edited the text in question. She has also not edited any book in this syllabus,” said History Department head S.Z.H. Jafri at a press conference on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s Office said the charges against Dr. Upinder Singh were baseless and motivated.

“It should be noted that the syllabus was formulated in discussion with college teachers and the department. The course was passed after several levels of discussion in various committees before being approved by the Academic Council in 2005,” Professor Jafri added.

Protests were organised at the Delhi University against inclusion of an essay by scholar A. K. Ramanujan titled “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation,” which is one of the readings for the course titled “Culture in India: Ancient” in the B. A. History (Honours) programme that is being taught in several colleges.

A note prepared by the History Department earlier this month emphasised that there was no published compilation of the course readings by Dr. Upinder Singh or any other member of the Department. “It has come to our notice that there is a spiral-bound collection of photocopies of the individual articles and excerpts related to this course at certain photocopying shops. This set of photocopies has a covering page on which Dr. Upinder Singh’s name has been typed, without any authorisation whatsoever as a ‘compiler.’ It is this collection of photocopies that is being incorrectly described as a ‘book’ compiled by here. There is in fact no book,” Professor Jafri asserted in the note.

Condemning the vandalism by Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists on Monday, the History Department said everyone had the right to differ in an academic arena but the use of violence to derail the academic process was not acceptable.

History Department teachers and students, along with activists of the Students’ Federation of India, staged a protest outside the Vice-Chancellor’s office on the North Campus on Thursday demanding that academic freedom should be upheld on the campus. They shouted slogans demanding that the essay be retained in the syllabus.

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