http://www.sfgate.com/pages/corrections/

Dear Editor:
Writers Romila Thapar and Michael Witzel thoroughly mislead the reader in their Open Forum piece titled "How Does California Teach about Hinduism? A different agenda" (Chronicle March 6, 2006, Page B-7)". They contend that Hindu groups have pushed ominously unscientific, religious-based material. To substantiate, they illustrate the following revisions being sought: "the first Indian civilization is 1,900 million years old, the Ramayana and Mahabharata are historical texts to be understood literally, and ancient Hindu scriptures contain precise calculations of the speed of light and exact distances between planets in the solar system."

This is completely untrue. All revisions sought by the Hindu groups as indeed others are documented by the California Department of Education (CDE). They are even available for public viewing and scrutiny. Not one of the above were ever sought. The writers' disinformation can easily be verified by the CDE.

Thank you
Robin Mitra
Norfolk VA 23502

Reference:
Curriculum & Instruction Branch
Sue Stickel
Deputy Superintendent
(916) 319-0806

California Department of Education:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/

Submissions to the CDE:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr05/documents/bluenov05item05.doc