NEW DELHI, March 18 -- Since the Hindu nationalist BJP took the reigns of power a decade ago, there has been a deliberate promotion of a pattern of policymaking in education, which is based more on religion and glorification of those aspects of the past which are not verified by reason. In the past, India was seen as a centre for the development of rational thought. Charvaka contributed to rational philosophy, while Charaka and Aryabhatta contributed significantly to medicine and astronomy. Hilariously, what is glorified today is plastic surgery being used to plant elephant's heads on Lord Ganesha or Karna being born from the ear as an example of genetic science. Aviation technology is also attributed to the ancient glorious past when "pu...