Secularism and The Doon School - Getting to the Meat of the Matter
An issue that should have stayed within the boundaries of the school recently leaked out. The question was of what type of meat should be served in the central dining hall. Doon Online delayed publishing this news item until the issue had moved out of the media limelight.
The Doon School was founded on the principles of secularism. Students were first Doscos and Indians before they were anything else. Doon was established as a non-denominational institution open to all students irrespective of their religion or caste background. Since then, the goal of the school has always been to provide young Indians with a rounded education, and to instill in them a respect for the ideals of secularism, discipline and equality.
Here at Doon Online, we're disappointed to hear how the parents reacted. Let school issues remain school issues and respect the values upon which the school was founded. Don't politicize an issue. Read Times of India's coverage of the subject below.
Bad blood over meat served at Doon School, Times of India
CHANDIGARH: It was actually a Pakistani delegation that started it. And now, no one is eating a particular type of meat in Doon School.
Doon School had in November last year invited a school delegation from Pakistan for a friendly visit. Everything went off well until the school called in the foreign team for a meal at its Common Dinning Hall (CDH).
To assuage the feelings of the Pakistan group, obviously Muslim, Doon authorities announced that only Halal meat was served in the school. That did it.
As the news trickled out parents of Hindu and Sikh students began registering their protest with headmaster Kanti Bajpai. Although boys remained boys on the sports field, at the dinner table some became Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims. Soon, non-Muslims stopped eating all meat.
"Aggrieved" parents, who held a press conference on the issue, now want the school to offer a choice to students. They could either go for halal meat - a ritualistic slaughter that Muslims prefer - or jhatka, which Hindus prefer.
When contacted for a response, Bajpai was not pleased. Refusing to say anything, he fumed that it was an issue "between the school and parents and the media has nothing to do with it."
But parents won't have it that way. Gurpreet Singh, Chandigarh representative of the Doon School Old Boys Society (DOSCO), lamented: "The headmaster tried to justify his action by saying the school is justified in serving only halal since it gives holidays on festivals like Holi and Diwali, and that concessions are given to Sikh boys to wear turban and kada and grow beards."
While one of Singh's sons has already passed out of Doon, the younger one is still there. "We just hope that such a prestigious school does not follow the French example of banning the use of religious symbols," he added.
Seema Sharma, Times of India, Chandigarh
