First war of independence: 1857

[acharya]

Chauhan sees a major flaw in textbook

Staff Correspondent

Referring 1857 War of Independence as mutiny a big mistake, Chief Minister tells Manmohan Singh

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has brought to the notice of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the social science textbook for Class X prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) refers to the 1857 War of Independence as mutiny and said that this flaw should be rectified immediately.

According to information received here, Mr. Chauhan raised the issue at a meeting called by the Prime Minister at his residence in New Delhi on Thursday to chalk out the plan for the 150th anniversary celebrations of the 1857 War of Independence. The meeting was attended by members of the Union Cabinet, senior members of political parties, Chief Ministers, Governors, historians and intellectuals.

Drawing attention to the "fact" that it was Veer Sawarkar who had called it the First War of Independence, the Chief Minister regretted that the CBSE syllabus continues to describe the 1857 War of Independence as mutiny. The Chief Minister urged the Prime Minister to have this flaw corrected and requested that a stipend be sanctioned for the descendants of those who had fought the 1857 War.

He asserted that textbooks should be used effectively to impart knowledge about the struggle for Independence. This he emphasised by recounting the sacrifice of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Rani Avantibai of Ramgarh, Raja Bhaktbali of Shahgarh, Raja Shankar Shah of Jabalpur and Raghunath Shah in the 1857 War of Independence. He said his government had declared awards in memory of Shankar Shah and Raghunath Shah -- two heroes of the 1857 War of Independence from Madhya Pradesh.

A proposal to increase the pension of freedom fighters is under consideration in the State. Mr. Chauhan said many functions were being organised in the State to celebrate the centenary of Chandra Shekhar Azad. He also informed that every month, on the first working day, Vande Mataram is sung by the Chief Minister, Ministers and all State Government employees.

The word "mataram" gets repeated four times in the Bangladesh national anthem but nobody in that country objects to it whereas the pseudo-secular elements in this country try to create unnecessary confusion about Vande-Mataram, he said.