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IIT Bombay has scheduled a lecture on “the science of begetting a good progeny.” | Photo Credit: ANI
This evening (January 18) IIT Bombay has scheduled a lecture on “the science of begetting a good progeny” or “Garbhavigyan,” by an Ayurveda proponent Acharya Mehul Shastri. He will talk about: factors influencing the internal and external qualities of the child; how our ancestors influence the qualities of the child; the health of the mother and foetus; preparations of the mind and body before pregnancy; consequences of carelessness during pregnancy and “some rules for Garbhasanskar.”
Students and faculty see this event as “propaganda to push Hindutva ideology on the campus.” A senior faculty member who wished not be named told Frontline that this lecture would serve only to instil superstition. “College campuses are meant for debates and discussions on ideas with a scientific base. But such events appear to perpetuate a certain ideology in a subtle way,” said the professor.
Another senior faculty who also requested anonymity said that IIT Bombay’s legacy of holding serious talks is now diminishing. “Politics is not new to this campus. Politicians across the board have studied here. They have debated fiercely. But these discussions had some standard. This invitation is totally unacceptable.”
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Mehul Shastri has 31K subscribers on his YouTube channel, where he has uploaded 960 videos of which 58 videos dwell on “Garbhavigyan.” Mehul Shastri claims that these videos are based on the philosophy of Shri Vishwanath Shastri, his tutor, who read the Vedas, Upanishads, other religious texts and studied Ayurveda to come up with the theory “Garbhavigyan.” The idea behind his philosophy is “to create a human being with character.”
This is not Mehul Shastri’s first lecture at IIT Bombay for a lecture. He spoke here, last year, on “Life Science in Sanskrit.” This lecture was organised by Sanskrit Cell at the campus.
Educationists believe this is part of a pattern to ‘saffronise’ educational institutions and campuses. Senior educationist Pratima Havaldar condemned this in strong words. “After the BJP government came to power, we have been seeing this ideological push at every educational institute. People affiliated to right-wing organisations are being called upon to speak on any topic. This goes against the scientific temper.” Ashutosh Shirke, senior career mentor from Mumbai said, “IIT Bombay was once an institution of reason. It has renowned internationally. If its administration continues to give its platform to the people who have no base in either science or even spirituality, then institution’s brand will be damage irreversibly.”
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As the news about Mehul Shastri’s proposed speech on “Garbhavigyan” spread, several similar instances came to light. Recently, for instance, a panel discussion organised by the institute’s gender cell was cancelled. The event had planned to feature rape survivor Bhanwari Devi, author and activist Kavita Srivastava, and lawyer Vrinda Grover. The scheduled speakers were replaced and a fresh event was held later.
IIT Bombay has made news for its remarkable achievements. But in recent years, it has courted controversy. A reputation that took 67 years to build, cannot be thwarted by an administration’s lack of introspection.
Meanwhile, Frontline tried several times to speak to the IIT Bombay administration, as well as the organisers of Mehul Shastri’s lecture, but received no response.