Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti on Saturday gave a sharp clarification to the viral videos that were being misleadingly shared by some internet users. A video from 2018, got viral where he was seen teaching the students about the topic of the Tulsidas and Ramcharitmanas, where he gave a short note on the way the Goddess Sita was remarked by the God Ram. Divyakirti is a popular figure in the country and has been successful in running the Drishti coaching institute.
A short clip of the video became viral and many internet users gave very harsh comments to the Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti. There were also hashtags #BanDrishtiIAS and #ISupportDrishtiIAS trending on social media, depicting protest and support respectively. The situation has become intense as many political figures have targeted Divyakirti and have directly pointed him out for insulting the Hindu scriptures. An FIR has also been launched against him in the state of Uttar Pradesh on the basis of the video that has been circulated.
Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti: The sequence of events
The controversy of the Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti is based on the two viral videos. Both of the viral videos have the same context as they were being quoted by the founder to make students understand what has been written in the texts.
In the first viral video, Divyakirti is seen saying about the writings in the Ramayan written by Valmiki, where the God Ram actually insulted Goddess Sita by saying, “Hey, Site agar tumhe ye lagta hai ki yudhh Maine tumhare liye lada hai toh ye galkat femi hai. Yuddh apne kul ke samman ke liye lada hai. Aur rahi tumhari baat, jaise kutte dwara chate jane wale ghee bhojan dene layak nahi hote, waise tum mere yogya nahi ho.” ( Hey Sita, the war was not being fought for you but to give respect to my clan. The food (ghee) licked by the dogs has no value, and the same applies to you. You have no worth left.)
The second video that was viral was about a Dalit citizen of the Rama kingdom, Shambuk who actually did ‘Tapasya’ and chanted mantras that were at that time allowed only for Brahmins. One day, when a Brahmin’s son dies due to some reason, the reason was to be thought of as some injustice that has been prevailing around the kingdom due to which such cases happen. And that injustice was related to the Shambuk who had broken the law to do a ‘Tapasya’. Ram beheaded his head for the sake of the kingdom.
Various social media users along with politicians such as BJP leader Prachi Sadhvi and Trinamool Congress leader Kirti Azad also tweeted about the issue. Many are pointing out issues such as the way Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti said in a joking manner, which has been the key issue. But he has said it is all about the environment inside the class which matters. He never took any intention to hurt any sentiments of the people. Many prominent personalities have voiced against him whereas many have supported him.
A clear explanation!
In response to the video and all the allegations, Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti said in an interview that he will not ever show a certificate of being a Hindu but maintain his decorum and teach the students what needs to be taught. As the questions in UPSC are not simple and require many contexts, the video that has been circulated was also referring to certain contexts to make students learn from different perspectives.
There are many questions regarding the works of Goswami Tulsidas which are asked in the UPSC Mains examinations. He was referring to answering such questions with special reference to his writings where he has not mentioned certain sections about the Goddess Sita on a bad note, though it has been clearly mentioned in the Ramayan of Valmiki. Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti was referring to the same context to give a proper understanding of the work of Tulsidas.
An example of such questions can be seen when the importance of the works of ‘Kavitavali’, the writing of Goswami Tulsidas itself, in the UPSC MAINS paper of 2019 of Hindi Literature. This answer needed the right context regarding Goddess Sita and Rama. Such information may help to provide answers to such questions.
Drishti IAS Founder Vikas Divyakirti also gave various references such as that of Pushottam Aggarwal where he actually first read about such information and later went through the Valmiki Ramayan to clarify his sayings.
The whole scenario was actually about giving clear contexts to write certain answers and to provide an idea about how the writings about the God Ramchandra have been changing based on the timing and development of the years that have passed by. UPSC is the most prestigious and tough exam in the country. The questions are not set up on an ordinary level but require an answer with a holistic view of each and every aspect of the reference on which the question has been asked. As per the clarifications sorted out by the Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti, he said that the whole video is about giving reference to different works done on God rather than his views about God.
Future action may get any shape
As an FIR has been launched against him, he was seen tensed but at the same time, he was ready to go to the courts and seek judicial help. This incident might trigger problems for the institution’s reputation as well as many students may feel insecure about the whole matter. Many users have referred to this situation, with the controversy related to Nupur Sharma.
Religion and its sensitivity go hand in hand. The future course of action will decide how damaging or ineffective this situation will be for the Drishti IAS founder Vikas Divyakirti and his coaching center.
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