'Hamara Hind sabse pyara hai'

'We will teach them about our idol Mohammad Sahab and all the great men of other religions as well -- about Shri Ram, Krishna, Yeshu, Bhagwan Mahavir.'

'We want children from the madrasas to become doctors, engineers, scientists, soldiers and walk in the footsteps of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.'
'That is why we have named the modern madrasas after Dr Kalam.'

Mohammad Umar, 12, recites the stirring patriotic nazm [poem] at the Faizul Quran madrasa in the Muslim colony in Dehradun. He delivers it beautifully, pronouncing and enunciating every word with flourish and confidence.

The son of a teacher at the madrasa, the child is a Hafiz [one who knows the Quran by heart] and is hoping to study at the Darul Uloom in Deoband, the foremost Islamic academic centre in India.

"It is very difficult to get admission in Deoband. Only the fortunate get selected," says his father and hopes that his son will become an Islamic scholar someday.

The Faizul Quran madrasa was quiet when we entered around noon. The hall on the ground floor was vacant; there were rows of low benches and mats neatly placed on the floor. A narrow flight of steps led to the floor above where the smell of rice being cooked wafted through the air.

It was nearly lunch time and the group of boys between 8 and 12 who reside in the hostel on the second floor were talking quietly among themselves. Girls and boys from the neighbourhood also came to the madrasa before or after school to learn the Quran.

The children living in the madrasa are mostly sons of daily wagers. They belonged to very poor homes and came from neighbouring towns and villages; some are orphans. They visit home once a year during the month of Ramzan.

"These children belong to the last rung of the societal ladder, they have the capability of becoming doctors, engineers. Every evening, I teach them Maths, Science, English," says Mohammad Qurban who is preparing for the Uttarakhand State Public Service Commission and lives on the premises.

The double storied madrasa is located on a neat, but narrow concrete road in a neighbourhood which has a dense cluster of homes and shops.

By April 1, the 25 children from this madrasa will be transferred to a modern madrasa school down the road. The new madrasa will follow the National Council of Educational Research and Training syllabus.

The first half of the school time-table will be set aside for the NCERT curriculum while the second half will include the study/memorisation of the Quran, Urdu, Arabic etc.

The Waqf Board of Uttarakhand has decided to make four model modern madrasas in the state which will serve as a template for other madrasas. In phase I, the madrasas will be established in Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital and Haridwar.

A short walk down the road takes you to the Muslim National Primary School which will be converted into Dehradun's first modern madrasa.

Behind the metal door is a dug up open space where a playground will be created; artificial grass will be planted, swings will be installed. At the far end is a row of classrooms which open onto a long verandah.

The madrasa school will provide education up to Class 8. New classrooms and a hostel will be added to the existing building; the process to appoint 11 to 15 government teachers has already begun according to Mustakeem Majra, administrator of the modern madrasa in Dehradun.

"We realised that we are not working hard enough on the education of Muslim children. Along with Hafiz-e-Quran, Muslim children will study the NCERT syllabus in the madrasa," says Shadab Shams, chairman of the state Waqf Board.

The Waqf Board of Uttarakhand functions under the Central Waqf Act and is a statutory body under the aegis of the state government.

"The syllabus of the Madrasa Board is taught in the madrasas under the guidance of a maulana and mufti. Even if the Madrasa Board tries to add other subjects, it is not binding on them to include the new subjects in the curriculum. If they were willing, then this change would have happened much earlier," says Shams.

"We want children from the madrasas to become doctors, engineers, scientists, soldiers and walk in the footsteps of Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. That is why we have named the modern madrasas after Dr Kalam," Shams adds.

"The madrasas will be steeped with nationalistic, Nation First thinking. Our children are ready to sacrifice their all for Ma Bharti," says Shams.

Recalling a madrasa that he visited in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Shams says what struck him was that the students were studying the Quran while seated in a chair with the holy text placed on a table before them.

"Why should our children sit on the floor? Should they not use chairs and tables too?" he asks.

"We will teach our children all subjects, including Sanskrit."

"We will teach them about our idol Mohammad Sahab and all the great men of other religions as well -- about Shri Ram, Krishna, Yeshu, Bhagwan Mahavir," says Shams.

A committee has been constituted chaired by Indian Forest Service officer Kehkashan Naseem. The committee also includes a retired colonel who will impart physical training to the students.

The school where the modern madrasa will come up in Dehradun is a large open space surrounded by double storied houses from where one can look onto the ground.

The school has ended for the day, but the teachers are sitting in the verandah. The wall behind them has been painted with bright flowers by the teachers themselves who live in the neighbourhood.

The school has woefully low enrolment -- just around 90 students, many of them girls. The largest number of students is in Class I, but a majority drop out after that. One class just had 2-4 students. The fee is Rs 150 to Rs 200 per month.

Principal Nazia Parveen says most of the students are poor. The teachers are aware that a modern madrasa will replace the school in its current avatar, and since they do not have BEd degrees, it may be the last few weeks for them here.

"The school is in the heart of the Muslim locality, yet has seen poor enrolment, we are sure that the modern madrasa will bring positive change," says Mustakeem Majra, the administrator of the modern madrasa, with enthusiasm.

"Our idea is to prepare a model madrasa and present it -- and if it is liked it can be followed," adds Shams, , chairman of the state Waqf Board.

"I am certain that people will accept it."

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com