While Arjun Singh and the new Congress Government have been busy wiping out all traces of saffron effected by the late NDA Government’s over-zealous Murli Manohar Joshi, newer and newer names have found their way into the history text-books… The Prez Dr. Abdul Kalam might criticize ‘indiscriminate and too frequent’ changes in school textbooks but that does not stop our sycophant syllabus-makers… The tone is cloyingly obsequious…
Try this for a sample… (italics from the article and bold mine)
Sonia Gandhi : Hindi textbooks of class X in Karnataka, place Sonia Gandhi beside Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi in the chapter Bharatanari. Gandhi has been described as a great woman working for the emotional integration of the nation through Rajiv Gandhi Pratisthan (Rajiv Gandhi Foundation).
Bharatnari? The erstwhile Italian connection remains erstwhile post her ‘sacrifice’?!
Lalu Prasad Yadav : Titled Mitti Ke Gaurav, a Hindi textbook in Bihar has a chapter on Lalu Yadav. The textbook has been approved by the director of elementary, secondary and adult education of the Bihar Government and has been in circulation for more than a decade.
Priyanka Gandhi : Although they have not made it to the Parliament, they have made it to the history textbooks of class V students in New Delhi. The textbook requires students to remember the names of Priyanka Vadra and husband Robert Vadra.
Why? I thought the news about an exam question in the Ranchi varsity, asking for actress Raveena Tandon’s husband’s name was the absurdest limit… But this?
Read on…
And while I am anyway ranting, can I also mention this…
India Today says that the latest additions to ‘celebrities’ eligible for Z plus security cover are : Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan (on par with L.K. Advani’s – I can understand Advani’s insecurities; how many of you would have, given the chance! But Shah Rukh?)… and hold your breath (and slowly die), Aishwarya Rai… Z+ security involves 11 commandos, a pilot and escort car; just security cover for the PM and ex-PMs sets the nation back by Rs. 100 crore every year…
What makes these ‘celebrities’ eligible for such high-expense security? And more importantly, who pays for this expense?
Any time now, I expect to read about Z cover for Chhota Rajan….