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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Shahana Yasmin

Why religious groups are up in arms over Zumba classes in Indian schools

A new educational initiative in the southern Indian state of Kerala has drawn fire from religious leaders after the government introduced Zumba classes in public schools.

The programme, which is aimed at improving physical fitness and deterring drug use among students, includes a mix of dance-based workouts, yoga, and mindfulness activities. The fitness drive was introduced in the current academic year by Kerala government under chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

While Kerala’s education minister has clarified that the sessions involve light exercise and are conducted with students in their school uniform, both Muslim clerics and Hindu nationalist figures have accused the government of promoting immorality. The unlikely alliance has led to a growing backlash against the Left-leaning government, with protests and calls to scrap the programme in favour of more “culturally acceptable” alternatives.

Education minister and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, V Sivankutty, has said Zumba, along with yoga and aerobics, is intended to create a healthy and engaging school environment.

“There have been objections from some quarters against implementing sports activities like zumba, aerobics and yoga in the state’s schools. However, it’s important to understand that these activities are being introduced as part of an anti-drug programme,” Mr Sivankutty said on Saturday, according to The Print.

“Such objections, rather than improving the education sector, will inject a poison more potent than drugs into society, fostering communalism and division.

“What is being held in schools is a short physical fitness programme. Students are performing Zumba in their uniforms.”

He added that the students are mandated under the right to education to participate in the activities.

“According to the Right to Education (Act), it is mandatory for all students to take part in learning activities suggested by the government. Parents have no choice in it. According to the rules, the teachers have the responsibility to undertake activities per orders of the education department. Nobody has asked the students to wear revealing dresses and participate in Zumba”.

The backlash, however, has been fierce. The Wisdom Islamic Organisation and the Sunni Yuvajana Sangham (SYS) declared the programme “un-Islamic”. Some likened Zumba to “lewd and skimpily clad DJ party dancing”, claiming it violated Islamic codes of conduct and family values, according to Indian media.

TK Ashraf, general secretary of the Wisdom Islamic Organisation, said on social media that his son would not be attending Zumba classes. “Children are not being sent to school to perform mixed dance,” he said, adding that opposition to the scheme should not be portrayed as extremism.

Additionally, the Muslim Students Federation demanded that the government provide scientific proof that Zumba can prevent drug and alcohol abuse before making it mandatory.

Nasar Faizy Koodathai, a senior leader of the influential Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, described the initiative as “objectionable”, calling it an infringement on students’ personal freedoms and a violation of their moral conscience. “Instead of improving the existing physical training, do not force vulgarity,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

The Hindu nationalist organisation Bharatiya Vichara Kendram also came out against the programme, calling Zumba a “foreign product” that undermines traditional Indian practices such as yoga. The group criticised the government for bypassing local physical education experts and promoting “Western” culture in schools.

“In reality, zumba is an intrusion and a cultural invasion against the traditional identity and heritage of this land,” said organisation director R Sanjayan, according to a report in Mathrubhumi.

However, several prominent voices have defended the programme. CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby argued that religion should be kept out of education. “Children should grow mingling with one another,” he said at a press event in Kozhikode on Saturday. “In a secular country, religion should be kept away from public education. They can comment on issues, but they should not dictate terms on education.”

Congress leader and Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil also dismissed the outrage, saying: “Many youngsters today suffer from lifestyle diseases. It’s important to prioritise physical health at a young age. So there is no need to start a controversy over an initiative launched to protect our health”.

Despite protests and some parents withdrawing their children from classes, the Kerala government has signalled it will not back down. Zumba training has already begun in many schools across the state, with more sessions set to roll out in the coming months.

Kerala has previously experienced significant debate over school policies aimed at promoting inclusivity and challenging traditional norms. In 2018, initiatives aimed at introducing a gender-neutral uniform for male and female students saw opposition from some Muslim parties in the state, who argued that such uniforms were against Islamic principles and cultural values.

In response, Mr Vijayan clarified in August 2022 that the government had no intention of imposing gender-neutral uniforms statewide.

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