Should Geeta be adopted as national book of India?

Politics creates controversies and this time it is about declaring “Geeta” as the national book of India. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj wants Bhagavad Geeta to be declared as the national book of India. She presented her views in her speech given at a function kept for celebrating 5,151, years of Geeta. She said that the religious book has answers to all the problems and that why it should be given the national scripture status. Do you agree with her? Should Geeta be adopted as national book of India?

Yes

• India is a land of variety still the book demonstrates the teachings that can be used by all the different segments of people.

• The book is not about Hinduism, or praising a particular religion, instead it is about the practical learning that can be implemented in day-to-day life.

• There is no official national book of India and giving this status to Bhagavad Geeta will respectfully fill the gap.

• The true essence of Bhagwad Geeta is in its substance which is also followed by renowned people in their life. Aldous Huxley, Henry David Thoreau, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Albert Schweitzer etc. are non Indian followers of Bhagavad Gita.

• The book also makes people remember about the epic fight that happened when a woman was degraded by men. It states that women should be treated with utmost respect.

• Hinduism doesn’t depend on one single holy book, and has even got other sacred books like Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads. And, selecting Geeta indicates it is just about teaching and not about religion.

No

• India is a nation of many religions and giving status of national book to Bhagwad Geeta can create unwanted problems in the society.

• The national scripture status to a book which is a holy book of Hindus will be against secularism in India. It will be an open war against Geeta versus Kuran versus Bible versus Guru Granth Sahib.
• It is not official but the Constitution of India, a book that has all the rules and ideas to keep India working is considered as a national book of India.

• Equality and justice are the two important national goals in a democratic nation which are highlighted in the Preamble of the Constitution.

• A respectable and sacred book like Bhagwad Geeta should not be given national book status as people should pause and analyze how much respect other national symbols are gaining? It is a meaningless lip service as after assigning it a national status it is treated with callous disregard. The finest example is of National River Ganga.

Conclusion

Assigning a national status to Geeta will only degrade the book as the people from the other communities and religions will start detesting the book. As of now, they don’t hold any harsh feelings for the religious book, and even try to follow the principles laid in the book. The step will create unwarranted drama and nuisance in the society. India is guided by the Constitution and therefore, if any book deserves the national status is only the Constitution. It is created by Indians, for Indians, of Indians and will always unite people.

Should Geeta be adopted as national book of India?