Pray tell, what harm would students come to if they are to learn a couplet by Mirza Ghalib? Wiping out verses from Ghalib will only render the children ignorant of his cultural legacy, the beauty of his poetry and the gratitude that many a modern author owes him. The same holds true for writings of Tagore, whose works inform a brief but forceful phase of the history of Indian literature. Unsaid here is that the Nyas is attempting to mould history, and simultaneously the future, to meet its own projections and beliefs. Expunging Indian history of its rich, varied and controversial facets is on par with advancing a linear narrative against the often strained but composite culture of India.

Source: dna July 25, 2017 02:36 UTC