Book Description

The ?Vedas? are considered ?divine? in origin and are assumed to be revelations from God. In traditional Hinduism, the Vedas were to be learnt only by the ?upper? caste Hindus. The ?lower castes? (Sudras) and so-called ?untouchables? (who were outside the Hindu social order) were forbidden from even hearing to its recitation. In recent years, there have been claims that the Vedas contain the cure to AIDS and the production of electricity.Here the authors probe into Vedic Mathematics (that gained renown during the revivalist Hindutva rule in India and was introduced into school syllabus in several states); and explore if it is really ?Vedic? in origin or ?Mathematics? in content. To gain a better understanding of its imposition, we interviewed students, teachers, parents, educationists and activists. We analyze this problem using models like Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCM), Fuzzy Relational Maps (FRM) and newly constructed Fuzzy Dynamical System (and their Neutrosophic Analogues). The issue of imposition of Vedic Mathematics into the school curriculum involves religious politics, caste supremacy, apart from elementary arithmetic ? so we use fuzzy and neutrosophic techniques to gain acute insight into how students have been affected because of this politically motivated syllabus revision.