The hijab has become the subject of a fierce debate in India. It all began last month when six teenagers at a government-run college in Karnataka's Udupi district began protesting after they were barred from classes for wearing headscarves. The issue turned divisive with Hindu students turning up in colleges wearing saffron shawls. Since the ‘hijab’ issue has become controversial there seems to be jostling among some political parties who are trying to project themselves as protectors of minorities. This controversy shows that the secular state and its principles give enormous opportunities to create new problems.
It's utterly unfortunate that the schools that should discuss and debate about the level of education have a become a laboratory for communalism. People with vested interests creating unnecessary problems in hijab issue. Education is the manifestation of perfection which is already there in the child. In the process, the students are being made scapegoats. If the same trend continues, each community would want to have its own colour. Students should be cautioned not to fall prey to vested interests’ political plots. Their job is to concentrate on their studies and strategise their future.
