School books grow up, finally

"Make your own conclusions", say the latest NCERT textbooks on politics after Indian Independence. I wish I had that choice of drawing my own conclusion. How many times, Mrs Santhi Chandrasekhar had asked me to get out of the class because I didn't agree with the book.


1.I was forced to believe that Gandhi and his policies were the lone cause for India's freedom struggle. Infact I knew no one other than Gandhi, Nehru and Bose. Bose was called an extremist; in the contrary he was a pure nationalist. Borrowing words from the British to describe our freedom struggle was the most foolish thing to do.

2. I was persuaded to praise the glory of the Mughal Empire. Akbar was probably worth a mention, not the ones that came before and after.

3. Dravidian history was restricted to Tamil text books and stateboard schools

4. Post-independence India was all about Nehru and his Panchsheel.

5. Ambedkar was glorified in the civics textbooks for the sole reason that he was a Harijan. No mention about the giants that preceeded or even Alladi Krishnaswami who contributed a great deal.

6. Who wanted to know about Alsace and Lorraine when there was little mention about the battle of Panipat and Raja Raja Chola's conquest beyond the Ganges.

What a waste!