The appointment of Rohit Chakrathirtha, a strong Hindutva ideologue, as the head of the committee to review textbooks by the Karnataka government has led to loud protests from academicians who see this as an attempt to saffronise education. The 15-member committee will look into certain “contentious” chapters in social sciences, languages and environmental science syllabus from classes I to X. The syllabus was recently revised by a panel headed by noted writer Baragur Ramachandrappa which comprised 27 subject committees and 172 members. While it is possible that certain errors might have crept in and may have to be corrected, revising the entire content smacks of a sinister design. The trigger for the review was a controversy surrounding a chapter ‘Birth of New Religions’ in Class VI social studies textbook which had apparently hurt the sentiments of the Brahmin community. With the Brahmin Development Board raising certain objections, schools were instructed not to teach this chapter. What has raised eyebrows is that the brief of the new committee goes beyond this “objectionable” chapter.
History has to be told as it is and cannot be tampered with to suit certain ideologies or communities. Many repugnant social and religious practices, especially untouchability and discrimination that existed in the past, may bring us shame today and it would be wise to accept such uncomfortable facts and move on instead of trying to whitewash the dark pages of history. This is not the first time that an attempt has been made to distort history or even obliterate important personalities and events. There have been demands earlier to completely drop Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali from textbooks. Though the atrocities committed by father and son cannot be denied, history is incomplete without a mention of Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali, who were among the first to check the British in their tracks, even before the freedom movement began. Though the then primary and secondary education minister S Suresh Kumar had fortunately not acquiesced to this demand, the Chakrathirtha committee was set up by him though the formal orders were issued by his successor, B C Nagesh.
While Chakrathirtha has appealed to critics not to judge him before the report is submitted, any attempt by the BJP government to erase, twist or communalise history would be foolhardily and would definitely be resisted by all right-thinking people, especially academicians. History, with all its discomforting facts, should serve as a guiding light for the future, and it should be remembered that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.