Macaulay sent to India by British to enslave Indians mentally: Rajnath Singh

Dehradun: Union minister Rajnath Singh Saturday said Lord Macaulay was sent to India to throttle the country's traditional system of education and enslave people mentally.

He said the revival of 'gurukuls' was necessary to counter the effects of Macaulay's system of education on Indian minds.

However, the defence minister advised that these centres of learning should synthesise the traditional education system with emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence and quantum technology.

"Macaulay was sent to India to enslave Indians even mentally by colonising their minds," Singh told a large gathering of seers and students at the foundation laying ceremony of the Patanjali Gurukulam in Haridwar.

Talking about Macaulay's attitude of disregard towards India's cultural and literary legacy, the Union minister said the British official had once declared an almirah in a European library as more than all of India's cultural and literary heritage.

The Western education system was introduced in the country by Lord Macaulay.

"The education system introduced by Macaulay spawned generations of Indians who grew up with a sense of inferiority about their own culture and traditions," Singh said.

The revival of the traditional 'gurukul' system of education is necessary to keep "our moral legacy alive", Singh said, adding these centres play an important role in the country's cultural development.