In the lead up to Christmas, India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development has asked all schools to observe 25 December as ‘Good Governance Day.’
It is marked to celebrate the birthdays of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a former Prime Minister of India, and Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, a Hindu nationalist, educationist and politician, with schools being encouraged to organise various student competitions on good governance.
According to the Indian Express, Ministry officials, said Dec. 25 will not be a working day for students and that the essay writing competition is voluntary and will be online.
Separately, the Times of India reported that the Dharm Jagran Samiti, a group supported by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to upholding Hindu nationalism, has declared Christmas a day for converting Christians and Muslims to Hinduism.