Savitribai Phule, Periyar, and progressive Kannada writers to make a comeback in textbooks from 2024-25

The literary works of various progressive writers, including Girish Karnad, P. Lankesh, Devanur Mahadeva, Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy, and Nagesh Hegde, among others, will make a re-entry into Kannada language textbooks from the 2024-25 academic year in Karnataka.

The literary works of various progressive writers, including Girish Karnad, P. Lankesh, Devanur Mahadeva, Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy, and Nagesh Hegde, among others, will make a re-entry into Kannada language textbooks from the 2024-25 academic year in Karnataka.

The Textbooks Revision Committee, headed by Prof. Manjunatha G. Hegde, which has submitted its report to the government, has also recommended reintroducing lessons on radical reformers such as Savitribai Phule and Periyar, and a few other subjects that were earlier dropped from the lesson “Social and Religious Reform Movements” in the class X history textbook.

However, the committee has not recommended reintroducing lessons related to Tipu Sultan and Hyder Ali, which were dropped by the earlier committee.

“The social science textbooks have been revised giving importance to the Constitution, gender sensitivity, child rights, democratic and secular values, and scientific temper,” said the committee in its report. For instance, in the class VI social science textbook, the lesson “Citizen and Conduct” has been revised considering gender equality. A lesson on welfare of sexual minorities has been added in the class X social science textbook.

Among other changes, in the class VIII history book, the chapter titled “Indus-Saraswati Civilisation” has been changed as “Civilisations of Ancient India: Indus-Sarasvati Civilisation and Vedic Period.” Information on icons of the Bhakti movement, including Kanaka Dasa, Purandara Dasa, and Shishunala Sharif, have been added to a lesson in the class IX History textbook. The class VII social science lesson refers to 12th Century social reformer Basaveshwara as “Cultural Leader” of the State.

The Karnataka government, in June, had ordered immediate changes in the content of Kannada and social science textbooks of classes VI to X, with 18 major changes, including 15 replacements of lessons. Later, it had set up a committee to look into the issue in a detailed manner. The Congress, ahead of the elections, had promised to undo some of the changes made in the textbooks during the previous BJP regime if voted to power.

Among significant changes announced by the Karnataka Textbook Society back in June, through a “corrigendum”, were replacing RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar’s “Nijavada Adarsha Purusha Yaragabeku” with “Sukumara Swamiya Kathe” by Shivakotyacharya in class X Kannada textbook and replacing “Bhoo Kailasa”, a play by Parampalli Narasimha Aithal with “Magalige Bareda Patra”, a translation of Jawaharlal Nehru’s letter to Indira Gandhi in class VIII Kannada textbook. Shatavadhani R. Ganesh’s “Shreshta Bharatiya Chintanegalu” was replaced with Sara Aboobacker’s “Yudha” in class X Kannada textbook.