Johannesburg, Apr 30 (PTI): A leading Hindu organisation in South Africa has urged authorities not to “airbrush” the history of Indians in the country, calling for greater representation of the community’s contributions in school textbooks currently under revision.
In an open letter, South African Hindu Dharma Sabha (SAHDS) president Ram Maharaj said the history of Indians, despite the community being a minority, must be adequately reflected in curricula.
“As far back as 1981, the SAHDS had adopted a unanimous resolution at its inaugural National Hindu Convention in Durban, calling for substantial inclusion of Indian history in school curricula,” he said.
“The history of Indians in South Africa cannot and must not be airbrushed away in history books. We demand that the current content on the history of Indians be at least doubled across all grades, because minorities matter,” Maharaj said.
The current level of representation, he alleged, is “an affront” and a “blatant erasure” of the monumental contributions Indians have made to the building of South Africa.
He recalled that Indians, since arriving as indentured labourers in 1860, had contributed across economic, cultural, political and social spheres in South Africa.
“To diminish this legacy in our textbooks is to diminish the truth itself,” Maharaj said, adding that enhanced representation would promote interracial understanding, social cohesion and nation building.
He said greater inclusion of the community’s struggles would also counter perceptions that Indians in South Africa had historically enjoyed privilege.
“It must be recorded that our great indentured ancestors toiled tirelessly, and lived in slave-like conditions, incessantly suffering from torture and trauma, deprivation and discrimination.
“However, down through the generations, Indians survived and thrived by prioritising educational advancement with a sense of vision and mission, turning adversity into advantage, and doing more with less,” the Hindu leader said.
The SAHDS has recommended that textbooks highlight the suffering and sacrifices of indentured Indians, as well as their role in the anti-apartheid struggle that led to the election of Nelson Mandela as the country’s first democratically-elected president.
Maharaj noted that the struggle was initiated by the Natal Indian Congress, founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1894, nearly two decades before the African National Congress was established.
He also called for recognition of Indian figures such as the Padavatan brothers and Valliamma, as well as philanthropists, including VN Naik, ML Sultan, Narend Pattundeen, AM Moola, RK Khan, and HE Joosab, who helped establish schools and hospitals for the community.
The SAHDS further sought attention to historical discrimination against Hindus during the colonial era, including the demolition of temples and forced resettlement.
Maharaj said the organisation believes that a fair and accurate portrayal of Indian history would strengthen unity in diversity and foster greater harmony in South Africa. PTI FH SCY SCY
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