BHOPAL: Historians and educationists in Madhya Pradesh are in a fizzy over a new school textbook introduced in the state. According to them, the Hindi textbook, Bal Bharati, for students of the Fifth Standard and published by the MP Textbook Corporation, contains a number of factual errors.
The book, edited by one Ghanshyam Kashyap describes tribals hailing from Chattisgarh region of MP as the descendants of demon king Ravana. It says that some of these tribals, therefore, mourn when Ravana’s effigy is burnt during Dussehra festival.
However, historians say the information is a factual bloomer, because a section of the tribals cannot represent the entire people of the Chhatisgarh region.
Apparently, they also learned belatedly that the error had existed in the Bal Bharati for the past one decade.
In another chapter too, titled “Abuhmar ke Vanvasi, contradictory information regarding the tribals living in Abhuj hmar region of Bastarhas allegedly been given.
At one place, the origin of Abujhmaris has been traced from Aryans and non-Aryan Dravidians, while elsewhere, it is mentioned that Abujhmar tribals’ origin dates back two centuries” ago.
The chapter also says that the villages of Abjhimar have ghotuls (a place in the village where meetings between boys and girls are: arranged for marriage). This is yet another bloomer, because the concept of ghotui exists only among the Bhurya tribals, says Prafulla Jha. Mr, Jha has conducted several researches on the tribals. Meanwhile, the issue has also evoked the politicians wrath AICC spokesperson Chandulal Chandraker, the MP from Durg, has told a news agency at that the description of the Chhattisgarh people as the descendants of Ravana was aimed at tamishing the image of the area people.
The MP has even threatened for launch an agitation if the objectionable remarks are not deleted from the book.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 21, 1994
