BARGARH: What was meant to honour the sacrifice of legendary freedom fighter Madho Singh has instead triggered outrage across Bargarh district after historical and geographical inaccuracies about the martyr and his family were found in the Class VII Odia literature book published by the state government.
Intellectuals, historians and descendants of the martyr’s family have termed the errors an insult and demanded immediate withdrawal and correction of the textbook.
The chapter on Madho Singh was introduced in the curriculum for the first time this year by the School and Mass Education department in Class VII Odia literature textbook ‘Sahitya Suman’. The move came following long-standing demands from the people of Bargarh to introduce the sacrifices of the revolutionary family to younger generations. While the inclusion was initially welcomed as a matter of pride for the district, the content has now come under severe criticism over gross factual and spelling errors.
Critics alleged that almost every paragraph of the four-page chapter contains inaccuracies, ranging from spelling mistakes to incorrect historical references. One of the major objections pertains to the description of Madho Singh’s native place. Though Ghess near Sohela is historically recognised as his birthplace, the textbook reportedly describes it as being near Padampur and Paikmal.
Similarly, several references linked to the revolutionary movement, local geography and personalities have been allegedly misrepresented. The textbook is also accused of wrongly mentioning Madho Singh’s martyrdom day as December 22 instead of December 31.
Padma Shri awardee and folk poet Haldhar Nag said, “The chapter appears to have been written without adequate understanding of the subject. Much of the historical narrative has been distorted.
Topics related to great revolutionaries and regional history should be handled with utmost sensitivity and accuracy.” He urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to take corrective steps to address the issue.
President of Shaheed Kunjal Singh Club, Ghess Ashok Pujahari said the factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the chapter are serious and cannot be overlooked. Since distribution of the books has already been completed, he suggested that the government should immediately prepare and circulate correction leaflets containing authentic historical details to schools across the state.
On Saturday, a delegation of Shaheed Kunjal Singh Club met Union Minister Pradhan and urged him to intervene in the matter. Pradhan reportedly assured them that appropriate steps would be taken after examining the issue.
