UK PM David Cameron ticks off schools over Indian dancing
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday said that Indian dancing is not a sport while defending his government's decision to scrap compulsory two hours a week of sports in schools, raising many eyebrows.
He told a TV channel, "The trouble we've had with targets (for state schools) up to now, which was two hours a week, is that a lot of schools were meeting that by doing things like Indian dancing or whatever, that you and I probably wouldn't think of as sport."
Bollywood dancing is growing in Britain, with several workshops and dance classes teaching steps accompanied by popular Hindi film songs. Besides its cultural value, Bollywood dance is also seen as an exercise.
But many say there are few instances of it being taught or performed regularly in schools. Cameron accepted that pupils must "do as much sport in school as possible". His comments came against the backdrop of Britain's remarkable success in the current Olympics, following which there is unanimity across the British political spectrum that there should be a continuing emphasis on sport in schools.
But the government's cost cutting to reduce public debt has impacted on school budgets, with mandatory sports being one of the casualties. "As well as the facilities and the money, what we really need is a change in culture in our schools and in society that says sport is good, competitive sport is good, school games are good," the PM said.
Cameron's remarks on Indian dancing prompted a wave of online comments by readers who believed that Indian dance was a form of exercise, while some joked how "Team Bollywood GB" would do if Bollywood dance were included in Olympics.
A reader wrote to the Guardian, "Back in the 1970s we did county dancing as part of PE in primary school. Indian dancing is quite physical and if it engages some pupils who think running around after a ball is not enjoyable then why not? Cameron's comment just seems racist to me."
Another said, "Cameron is living on a different planet. Any kind of exercise is better than the blobbism we now have. Not everyone wants to do cross-country running, and if girls, or men, want to do Indian dancing... great.
Those Indian dancers look super to me". Reader Tony wrote to The Daily Telegraph: "There is nothing wrong with a bit of bhangra... The objective is to get that body moving and use those muscles to keep fit. Whilst it's not exactly sport, not everyone is naturally good at sport."