Hedgewar in, Lankesh out in Class 10 state syllabus

By Sanjay R Murty | NT

Bengaluru: From this academic year, Class 10 students in schools that follow State syllabus will have to study Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar’s speech. The chapter titled ‘Nijavada Adarsha Purusha Yaraagabeku?’ (who should be the real role model?) has been included in the Kannada text book (first language) based on the recommendations of the textbook revision committee, headed by writer Rohith Chakrateertha. The panel also dropped lessons of many reputed writers in Karnataka from the book.

Writer and journalist P. Lankesh’s ‘Mruga Mattu Sundari’ and Leftist thinker G Ramakrishna’s ‘Bhagat Singh’ have been omitted from the Kannada non-detailed text. Instead, Shivananda Kalave’s ‘Swadeshi Sutrada Sarala Habba’ and M. Govinda Pai’s ‘Naanu Prasa Bitta Kathe’ have been included .

In the detailed text, Vedic scholar the late Bannanje Govindacharya’s ‘Sukanashana Upadesha’ and Shatavadhani R Ganesh’s ‘Shrestha Bharatiya Chintanegalu’ have been added after dropping Sara Aboobacker’s ‘Yuddha’, A.N. Murthy Rao’s ‘Vyaghra Kathe’ and Shivakotyacharya’s ‘Sukumara Swamy Kathe’

Ramakrishna’s Bhagat Singh is an anecdote of young Bhagat Singh who skips school to visit the Jallianwala Bagh after the massacre. There he stands quietly for some time and then collects some soil in a box and takes it home. He then tells his sister that he will empty the box into the river Ravi even if the blood-tainted soil turns the river red. The book was added to the syllabus four years ago.

G Ramakrishna told News Trail what surprised him most was the deletion of the chapter written by rationalist A N Murthy Rao. “The only reason for this would be his commitment to rationalism, which the current dispensation does not like.”

He said the BJP government dropped certain lessons as it does not want to make children free thinking citizens but only obedient workers. “Change must be backed by rationale. What was wrong with the content of the existing textbooks that forced them to revise?” he asked.

He said the textbook revision panel considered the ideological stand of the authors rather than the content. “It is an injustice to the children and education. They claim India existed for 10,000 years and that the Rigveda was written over 7,000 years ago. These claims are absurd and will embarrass our children when they pursue higher education,” he said.

Writer Sara Aboobaker’s daughter-in-law Dr Sakeena Nasser, a retired professor of Economics, said that the story ‘Yuddha’ had won many accolades. “She never craved publicity, nor did she request that her writings be taught at schools. Ultimately, it is for the students and teachers to decide what is best for them. I only want children to be open-minded,” she said, refusing to comment on the decision to delete ‘Yuddha’.

Minister’s defence
Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh has defended the inclusion of a speech by RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in the Class 10 Kannada text books.

Nagesh said the textbook does not contain anything about Hedgewar or RSS, but only his speech on what should be an inspiration to people, especially the youth, and that those who have raised objections have not gone through the textbook.

“Some people want to object to everything and they feel what they have said is only the truth and only their thinking has to be told to society. In that speech, Hedgewar had said that one has to take ideology, values and principles as his or her inspiration. He has spoken about the importance of society and the nation. What’s wrong with that?” the minister asked.

Chairman of the Textbook Review Committee Rohith Chakrathirtha reportedly said that the chapter on Bhagat Singh was supplementary and was not adding any value to the chapter that already had a reference of him.

It is learnt that the new chapters will be printed separately and will be distributed early next month.