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The Karnataka government intends to revise school textbooks and remove some chapters, including one on Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysuru, which depicts him allegedly in a ‘glorified’ manner. Instead, they will include chapters on the Ahom dynasty, which ruled the northeastern regions for 600 years, Rani Gaidinliu, the Naga spiritual and political leader who led a revolt against British rule at the age of 13 and spent 17 years in prison, and the Karkota dynasty of Kashmir valley.
The recommendations were submitted a few weeks ago by a committee led by writer Rohith Chakrathirtha, member of Karnataka Development Authority (KDA), and a formal order was also released to include the changes in the textbooks. According to sources in the Primary and Secondary Education Department, the panel recommended that the Tipu Sultan chapter be kept but without any adoration for the 18th-century Mysore ruler.
According to the source, studying Tipu as a ruler is also necessary. “We were able to correct the imbalance. The books drafted by the previous Congress government’s panel led by Prof Baraguru Ramachandrappa contained far too much glorification. That has been removed, and the tone has remained neutral.”
The committee also suggested chapters on the Ahom dynasty, which ruled the northeast for over 600 years, and the Karkota dynasty, which ruled Kashmir for 300 years. “Chapters on Dattatray Peeta have been proposed for inclusion in Chikmagaluru textbooks,” according to sources. For many years, the Datta Peetha shrine in Karnataka has been a source of contention, with right-wing organisations viewing it as the Babri of the South.
Various groups, including BJP MLA Appachu Ranjan, lobbied the government to remove the chapter from textbooks. They claimed Tipu was a ‘fanatic’ who murdered and converted Hindus in Kodagu to Islam, in addition to looting temples. Meanwhile, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal demanded on Saturday that the government remove the chapters on Tipu, Aurangzeb, and other Muslim rulers, referring to them as “bigots.”
On September 8, 2021, Education Minister BC Nagesh, who took over the department, formed a committee to revise textbooks and appointed Chakrathirtha as chairperson. Following the recommendations, the department directed the Textbook Society to incorporate the changes into the textbooks that will be distributed during the upcoming academic year.
