BENGALURU: It’s a controversy waiting to resurface again. After some BJP legislators demanded the removal of references to erstwhile Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan from school textbooks, the government constituted a committee to look into the issue. The government is yet to decide on the committee’s recommendation on retaining the lessons.
In an interview to The New Sunday Express, noted Kannada writer Prof Baraguru Ramachandrappa, who headed the Textbooks Revision Committee in 2016-17, said the controversy is unwarranted and taking out references to Tipu from the textbooks is an insult to history.
Excerpts:
Your views on the controversy?
This is an unwarranted controversy. There is nothing controversial in the school textbooks.
BJP legislators demanded removal of lessons on Tipu as he had committed atrocities against people in Kodagu...
Primary, high school and even pre-university level textbooks are information-oriented. Normally, we do not discuss for and against in those textbooks. Some historians write in favour of what Tipu did in Malabar region and some others write against it. All kings fought wars and they did some good and some bad works. Do we need to inform primary school and high school students about such controversies? Normally, we do not do it in any textbooks.
It is a matter of research and can be studied at the university level. I am not speaking for or against the issue. But within the framework of textbooks, we have not given any controversial information about anyone. If there is anything wrong in the information provided in the textbooks, it can be revised. It is not right to remove the reference to Tipu Sultan or anyone else.
In seventh standard textbook, there is a reference to Veer Savarkar (Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, freedom fighter who formulated the Hindutva ideology) under the title of ‘Prominent Revolutionaries’. If Congress leaders question how he can be called a revolutionary, can we take it out of the textbooks? There is no need for it. Removing references from textbooks is an insult to history as children need to know one aspect of history and as they grow they can always study other aspects, including controversies.
They also say he was not a freedom fighter
There are references to Tipu in 6th, 7th and 10th standards and we have not used the term ‘freedom fighter’. He had fought against Britishers and there is a reference to it. I have my own doubts if we can call him a ‘freedom fighter’ as the concept of freedom movement came much later. During Tipu’s time (late 18th century), over 500 princely states fought against the British.
Were there any such instances in the past?
I have read about such demands in the past in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Unfortunately, such things happen when the governments change and different parties come to power in states. A government is a democratically elected body and it should be above party politics.
‘Bayalatada Bhimanna’, written by me, was a text in Kuvempu University. It was about stories related to villages and it mentioned abuses commonly used in villages. Some BJP MLCs objected and it was discussed in the legislative council. A committee headed by veteran writer Chaduranga was formed to look into it. The committee found that there is nothing wrong as it is was a text for degree students and not for school students. The government accepted the report.
What is your suggestion to the government?
I think it should be left to experts and the government should not decide. I have great belief in (Education Minister ) Suresh Kumar.