The Hindu : Front Page : Now cricket inside the classroom

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 13, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Now cricket inside the classroom

Lakshmi B. Ghosh

NEW DELHI: History lessons are all set to get a new look soon with the gentleman's game officially figuring on the study list of school children.

The new syllabus for textbooks announced recently by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has a chapter focusing on cricket and its history. Titled "Sports and Politics - The Story of Cricket'', the section is part of history books for students of Class IX.

And surprising as it might seem, students will also be introduced to tennis teen sensation Sania Mirza in the primary section.

While Sania will be introduced as a personality, the use of cricket is likely to actually help make history lessons a little more interesting and exciting and provide an all new way of looking at the colonial period.

Part of Unit III on "Culture, Identity and Society'', the chapter is aimed at seeing how issues of culture are linked to the making of the contemporary world. The next books that figure in the new syllabus will be released for Class IX students from the 2006-2007 academic year.

From the emergence of cricket as an English sport and the relationship between the sport and colonialism in India, the chapter will also look into cricket nationalism as it has evolved in the country over the years. For teachers, the teaching of cricket history is likely to be challenging, and there is clearly a mixed feeling on how good the addition would be.

"The study of history need not necessarily be only of or about countries. It could be anything. The new addition would surely help students understand how it evolved and see the historical context. Our only concern is that history should not be diluted. Cricket is the most popular sport in the country and there is a lot of written material available on it, so it would be good,'' feels Chitra Srinivasan, a history teacher at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya here.

For a sport that continues to dominate the national mood, this will be the first time for cricket to find a place in academic textbooks. Clearly an indication of the hold that the sport has over students, the introduction of the chapter has evoked a positive response from students.

"We are very excited about the introduction of cricket. All the information that we have as of now about cricket is through watching and following the game. But to know how it all started and that too in the classroom would be a very exciting thing. At least for once we will not be punished for discussing cricket in the classroom!'' is what an excited Ankur Malhotra of Class IX has to say.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page