With protests brewing over the revised school textbooks, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai late on Friday said the State government had “an open mind, if there was any objectionable content in them”, and announced that the material related to 12th century philosopher Basaveshwara would be “suitably altered in order not to hurt sentiments”.
Many Veerashiva-Lingayat seers had raised objections to the portrayal of Basaveshwara in the revised textbook. The announcement came after a prolonged meeting between him and Primary and Secondary Education Minister B.C. Nagesh.
Meanwhile, the existing textbook revision committee, headed by Rohith Chakrathirtha, which has completed its term now, stands dissolved.
The Chief Minister said the cybercrime branch of the Bengaluru police had already been asked to investigate into the authorship of the limerick that had allegedly distorted the Nada Geethe (State anthem) penned by Jnanpith awardee Kuvempu. Many Vokkaliga organisations and seers had sought action against Mr. Chakrathirtha sharing the objectionable limerick on social media.
However, the statement did not hint at any other changes in the revised textbooks, though objections had been raised from various quarters. Mr. Bommai, in fact, stated that the number of lessons of Kuvempu included in the textbooks had risen from 7 to 10 in the revised syllabus. A lesson on Kempe Gowda had been added too, he added.
