These new courses have been recommended by the university’s VAC committee. If approved, they will be added to the current list of VAC courses, which are being taught in the four-year undergraduate programme in the first two years.
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The proposed courses cover topics including Arjuna’s dilemma and Krishna’s guidance, self-discovery and reflections on the concept of Swadharma (one’s personal duty), and the management of the three gunas (qualities)—Sattvika (goodness), Rajasika (passion) and Tamasika (ignorance), among others.
They also include practical components, such as SWOC analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges), lifestyle changes to enhance Sattwik guna, pranayama exercises, and role-play of Krishna and Arjuna.
Some faculty members have raised objections to the proposed courses, arguing that the emphasis on multiple VACs focused solely on the Bhagavad Gita risks narrowing students’ exposure to the rich diversity across the country.
However, DU Registrar Vikas Gupta told ThePrint that the courses were recommended by an expert panel and that a wide variety of courses are available within this category. “It’s about adding value, and the entire university is learning from the Bhagavad Gita,” he said. “Let the AC take the matter up Friday.”
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What are VACs?
Under the four-year undergraduate programme introduced as part of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, VACs are a common pool of courses offered by different disciplines.
These courses are aimed at embedding ethical, cultural and constitutional values, promoting critical thinking, Indian knowledge systems, scientific temperament, communication skills, creative writing, presentation skills, sports and physical education and teamwork, which will help in the all-round development of students.
Students enrolled in the four-year programme must earn up to eight credits through these VACs by the end of the second year or the fourth semester. This means that they need to take up to four of these courses, each offering two credits, from the list provided by the university and available through their respective colleges.
Currently, DU offers 33 VACs, including courses on Ayurveda and Nutrition, Yoga, Vedic Mathematics, Ethics and Culture, Fit India, Gandhi and Education, Indigenous Sports, Swachh Bharat, Tribes of India, and Science and Society, among others.
What is proposed to be taught under new courses?
According to the supplementary agenda for the upcoming AC meeting, the proposed VACs will each carry two credits, divided into one credit for lectures and one credit for practical sessions.
One of the proposed courses, The Gita: Navigating Life’s Challenges, aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of key themes in the Bhagavad Gita. The course will cover four core units, including Arjuna’s dilemma and Krishna’s guidance, self-discovery and reflections on the concept of Swadharma, the Gita’s teachings on equanimity in the face of success and failure, and the management of the three gunas.
The course objectives include analysing the various stages of self-knowledge as outlined in the Gita, exploring its solutions to personal and academic challenges, and fostering a resilient approach to life. Students will be encouraged to embrace core values, such as equanimity, compassion and self-awareness.
Another proposed course, titled Leadership Excellence through the Gita, will consist of four units exploring key leadership themes in the Bhagavad Gita.
Topics will include the role of a leader in terms of Dharma (righteousness), Adharma (unrighteousness), Arajkata (inaction), and Loksangrah (the welfare of society); the concept of the leader as a Karmayogi (one who acts selflessly), focusing on qualities like aspiration, focus, compassion and equanimity; and case studies of prominent modern Indian leaders, including Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Ratan Tata.
The course aims to demonstrate how the Bhagavad Gita conceptualises leadership, and its critical role in personal and societal development. It also seeks to build leadership skills and competencies, while emphasising the importance of righteousness, ethics and compassion through the wisdom of the Gita.
The practical components of the proposed courses include SWOC analysis of students’ personalities as leaders, discussions on lifestyle changes (diet, habits and activities) to increase Sattwik guna, practising pranayama, and performing role-play of Krishna and Arjuna in pairs, among others.
Meanwhile, the Viksit Bharat course will focus on familiarising students with key concepts, such as the vision of a developed India (Viksit Bharat), the PM Gati-Shakti National Master Plan, conventional and non-conventional energy sources, digital transformation, and e-governance, among others.
The objections
Maya John, an assistant professor at Jesus and Mary College, and a member of the AC, emphasised that the concern is not about questioning the significance of the Bhagavad Gita, a pivotal text of Indic civilisational heritage.
“The issue arises from the fact that formulating multiple VACs solely around the Gita risks minimising, if not completely closing off, students’ engagement with the rich diversity of traditions across the Indian subcontinent,” she told ThePrint.
“This could foster insular thinking, as students would lack exposure to a broader range of value systems in the classroom. Engaging with diverse traditions is essential for young students before they form their religious and moral perspectives.”
Seema Das, an associate professor at Hindu College and a member of the university’s Executive Council (EC), expressed concerns over the proposed VACs, saying, “The majority of these VACs lack relevance and offer little value in terms of career prospects. They only dilute the substance of the core honours courses, making them completely irrelevant.”
Abha Dev Habib, an associate professor at Miranda House, argued that VACs fail to enhance students’ critical thinking skills.
“These courses mostly make statements, and students simply memorise material for exams without engaging with it meaningfully. In fact, they have diluted the quality of degrees by fragmenting the credits that should be allocated to core disciplines,” she told ThePrint.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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