Image via ndtv.com
Backtracking on her earlier decision, (or rather doing a U-turn as is the norm these days), HRD minister Smriti Irani has allowed German to be taught as a third language in lieu of Sanskrit. Smriti said this was a goodwill measure after Germany trounced Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final in front of a packed Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday.
“German culture has become very popular in India after they nixed Pakistan’s chances of lifting the cup and indulging in celebrations as only they can,” Smriti justified the change in policy. “Thousands of Indian fans were sporting German flags and colors and cheering the German team against the men in green. Now sales of not just Mein Kampf, but even the works of Nietzsche and Goethe have overtaken Bhagat’s Half Girlfriend. So I felt it was only right that German be allowed as a third language.”
In any case, Indians idolizing German celebrities isn’t a new phenomenon, opines noted sociologist, Dipankar Gupta. “More people in India, even from the interiors and provincial towns, have heard of Michael Schumacher than Narain Karthikeyan. Same is the case with Steffi Graff who commands a bigger fan following than, say, a Rohan Bopanna. There is even a Steffi Graf temple in Karur, Tamil Nadu, I am told, where they recently installed an idol of Andre Agassi. Claudia Schiffer also has a legion of Indian fans,” Mr Gupta shed light on the impact of German celebrities on the Indian psyche.
The new HRD policy has the RSS’ imprimatur. “After Sunday’s finals, we also had a rethink about German. It is not that foreign a language considering that Aryans originated in India and fanned out through the Khyber Pass to other parts of the world including Germany. So what’s wrong if some students want to learn a closely related Indo-Aryan tongue?” a RSS ideologue reasoned.
(With inputs from Ashwin)