Ayurveda Exam Paper Under Fire For Asking Students To Write An Essay On 'Women As Aphrodisiac'
The question was part of an exam handed to fourth-year students at RGUHS in Karnataka on Wednesday for a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree.
A bizarre and objectionable question in an examination sheet has left the internet disgusted and angry.
Many people are criticizing a question in an Ayurveda exam paper set by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). Calling it 'problematic' and 'regressive', the internet feels the question objectifies women.
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The question was part of an exam handed to fourth-year students at RGUHS in Karnataka on Wednesday for a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) degree.
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According to the picture that has gone viral, the Ayurveda students were asked to write short essays. One of the topics they gave was "Stree as a Vajikarana dravya," - which translates to "woman as an aphrodisiac medicine/syrup."
This question was part of the Kayachikitsa paper for the students.
...this is the answer that students are studying in their Bachelor's degree, instead of progressive, scientific facts that are to be useful for community and humanity
¡ª TheLiverDoc (@theliverdr) June 16, 2022
Chapter teaches how to objectify women into aphrodisiac 'items' and 'baby making factories' pic.twitter.com/cXpmAir5V5
As soon as the picture started circulating on the internet, people weighed in to write about how problematic the question was.
Syllabus taught in the 21st century to the millennials!
¡ª Ritu Mathur (@RituMathur4) June 17, 2022
I am wondering how this textbook got approved by the government body. It clearly says, ¡®The man without progeny is not liked in the society and he looks like a tree having one branch, shade less, fruitless and foul smelling.¡¯ ?
¡ª Tom Nedumpuram (@tomjoseph) June 17, 2022
Its ayurveda book is written by our ancient Brahmins obviously they write it like that. But they should have avoided it though ?based on current finding
¡ª ?HaHa ? (@Haha13474986) June 16, 2022
Atleast they should drop the unscientific, socially oppressive contents. In modern education often syllabus is revised and updated. Why it did not happened in Ayurveda course?
¡ª Dr. Gomathi Ph.D (@Greatgo1) June 17, 2022
Atleast they should drop the unscientific, socially oppressive contents. In modern education often syllabus is revised and updated. Why it did not happened in Ayurveda course?
¡ª Dr. Gomathi Ph.D (@Greatgo1) June 17, 2022On the presumption that there is no 'woman ' student ?
¡ª Sheenn (@Sheenn102) June 16, 2022
Or is there a separate textbook for female students
with a ..ermm...a different set of conditions ?
Just asking for a friend , Doc !!
Unbelievable. And they want to practice like/be at par with practitioners of modern medicine?!
¡ª Aasaavaree (@Aasaavaree1) June 16, 2022
This is the textbook from which students learn Kayacikitsa (or Internal Medicine of Ayurveda) - it is Government approved, prepared according to syllabus by Central Council for Indian Medicine
¡ª TheLiverDoc (@theliverdr) June 16, 2022
Are we teaching our young students the way of 'rape culture' by objectifying women? pic.twitter.com/sAVWIZCA0T
Responding to the backlash, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences claimed that 'the question was part of the prescribed syllabus and should be seen in context.
Reacting to the criticism, Ramakrishna Reddy, Registrar (Evaluation) of RGUH, spoke to The Hindu and said,
Putting this here
¡ª TheLiverDoc (@theliverdr) June 17, 2022
Please don't FORGET this is what we are teaching to students in Ayurveda colleges.
DONT ENROLL KIDS INTO THIS PROFESSION PLZ. pic.twitter.com/v9w7pZFa0X
"The question paper is set as per the syllabus. These are things taught in the textbook and are one of the methods of treatment. The university has no authority over adding or removing the textbook's contents as the Central Council set it for Indian Medicine. "
In the same Twitter thread, @theliverdr also pointed out several other problematic, regressive remarks in the Ayurveda course books.
Short, sweet but very disturbinghttps://t.co/baH9fS5xXW
¡ª TheLiverDoc (@theliverdr) June 17, 2022
"This is the answer that students are studying for their Bachelor's degree, rather than progressive, scientific facts that are useful for community and humanity," a Twitter user wrote.
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