Ramdas Athavale held a press conference on April 2 and burnt copies of the textbook's page
The Republican Party of India (RPI) Athavale group has been demanding a ban on an eleventh standard text book by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) saying a cartoon in the book insulted Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
The textbook was published in 2006, but no one seems to have noticed the cartoon till recently.
On April 2, Mr. Ramdas Athavale held a press conference and burnt copies of the page from the text book prescribed in the political science syllabus. Mr. Athavale demanded the resignation of Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal who also is the president of the NCERT board. RPI workers burnt his effigy.
The cartoon figures on page 18 of Chapter one titled “Constitution, why and how” in the book called Indian Constitution at Work. It shows Dr. Ambedkar sitting on a snail which is labelled ‘Constitution' cracking a whip. Behind him is Pandit Nehru, also shown with a whip. The caption says: “Cartoonist's impression of the ‘snail's pace' with which the Constitution was made. Making of the Constitution took almost three years. Is the cartoonist commenting on this fact? ...”
“An insult”
Mr. Athavale said the cartoon insulted the architect of India's Constitution and the people responsible must be dealt with. The NCERT too had insulted him, he pointed out.
The introduction to the book says “This book is about the working of the Indian Constitution. In the chapters that follow, you will read information about various aspects of the working of our Constitution. You will learn about the various institutions of the government in our country and their relationship with each other.” The chapter contains various cartoons, even one of Pandit Nehru trying to balance the varying opinions on the Constitution.
The issue created uproar in both Houses of Parliament.
NCERT chief advisors Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar resigned on Friday after the government issued an apology and promised to remove the cartoon.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Palshikar said it seemed like the government didn't have an option and therefore decided to agree with the protesting MPs. “The caricature was a symbol of the progressive outlook in education. This has now been undone. We are of the opinion that as advisors we can have a different opinion. Hence, we don't think it's appropriate for us to be in this position anymore.”
Mr. Palshikar is a Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Pune.
Keywords: controversial textbook
Wow- the textbook was published in 2006 and it was noticed only now. Exactly that the cartoon is all about. The snale pace at witch the wheel rotates in India. We indian do not like the truth, but the delayed reaction to a drawing that has been in use since 2006 is exactly what the truth is. Banning the truth is against the constitution which states 'satyameva jayathe'. If the cartoon is banned then we should amend the constitution.
What is offensive to the sentiments of the people of India at large
are not issues raised about this cartoon which only shows in a
comical way BOTH Nehru character and Dr Ambedkar character trying to
whip speed into the SNAIL character representing the 'constitution
framing process' because that is what people of that day were eagerly
waiting for! Not by any extent imagination does it anyway appear to
me that this is representative of Nehru character (looking
down)whipping the Dr Ambedkar character. Such twisting interpretation
of a 60 year old cartoon only shows a clear twisted mind out to wrest
a political diversion from the woes facing the parliamentarians and
taxpayer today.
What is offensive is they think they can divert attention of the
people from the criminalisation of politics by the apparent audacity
with which their leaders introduce more criminal characters into
public life, the mind boggling moneys they lavish upon their homes at
taxpayers' cost and the loot of resources.
We have a leader who is also a dalit icon. The carton shows Nehru whipping Ambedkar who is riding on the snail named the constitution and crowds laughing/jeering at this scene. What exactly is being taught by this cartoon?? The Dalits say historicaly whenever they try to rise above their situation their efforts are belittled by those who were never opressed. They and ask that the dalits should not be too sensitive about this.
I just dont see what this has got to do with progessive outlook?? Anyway what does this cartoon teach?? I dont think that it has anything which cant be taught otherwise.
This 60 year old cartoon has no relevance or context in the India of 2012. It certainly looks offensive and tasteless in a present day context (whipping someone to improve performance may have been accepted practice 60 years ago not anymore). I'm surprised that your newspaper chose to publish this cartoon in two places (including the front page). When a Danish newspaper published a cartoon that was said to be offensive to Prophet Mohammed - your newspaper took the stand that exercising self-restraint and not publishing it would be the right thing for newspapers. Why did you then choose to publish this cartoon which is certainly offensive to Dalits.
Copy & Paste was much more difficult in those days. I am sure that if Dr
Ambedkar were to write it now, it would take three days of work, not
three years.
That Constitution took a long time (compared with turmoils of those times when World was changing very fast) is a fact. Whether it is justifiable or not, is for a reader to draw conclusions upon. Someone who forms opinion about Ambedkar by merely looking at a suggestive cartoon is a person with doubtful intellect. Similarly the person calling for a ban on such humor is perhaps too touchy. It is cartoon afterall! I hope supporters of Ambedkar dont make him a prophet and themselves as jihadists.
The caption that the constitution took 3 years to write is not to be
taken negatively. In fact, it is to be interpreted that it takes even
a person of the abilities like Ambedkar three years to write a
constitution for a cosmopolitan country like India. Besides writing a
document for three years requires a lot of patience intelligence and
perseverance. Often, the document is drafted in a much sorter time. A
good author then reads and rereads it over and over again to make
several revisions to his writings for proper clarity and
representation of his thoughts. This is the reason it takes such a
long time to write a good constitution.
Without understanding this, and commenting negatively on this caption shows how negative is our mindset. Obviously, for someone who has never authored a paragraph in print cannot understand that the above idea cannot be reproduced in a caption! We are mastering our abilities to interpret any statement negatively.
I dont think the cartoon is intended to insult Ambedkar or making of the constitution.
The cartoon was drawn at the time of the making of the constitution and was by Shankar. It also has people laughing at Ambedkar and Nehru. The cartoon has to be seen from eyes of people of that time, who were recently got independent and who were eager to be a republic. I dont think neither Ambedkar nor Nehru would have objected to the caroon.
More over, Below the cartoon there is a question for students to think about why constitution took so much time to be framed ? The Catoon, in that sense, is there to convey the fact that it is not easy to come up with a constitution for a country like India and all great things that stand the test of time take time to materialise whether it is the tajmahal or The Constitution of India.
No matter what the stand of any individual on this cartoon issue, no rights should come into any question here. Right to protest, no doubt, is enshrined in our Constitution. The bigger question is, if Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was indeed impatient and cracked some sort of political whip to speed up the writing of the Constitution, purely as an event, there is nothing wrong with it being depicted in a cartoon.
I agree our Constitution had to take into consideration a complex nation of so many divisions, but surely, three years is too much? Particularly considering it can be modified at a later stage?
What ever print in the text book is shameful for the cartoonist,the selector committee,the syllabus committee and the related all. for their better knowledge I am suggesting them to read 'Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Writing and Speeches Vol.18, Topic No.262,'(in Marathi book the page no is 160-161-162 & 163 )
More than the picture, if you look at the comment "Making of the Constitution took almost three years", what do the authors want to covey? that such an important document as constitution to guide a big nation with so many complexities, should not have taken three years but only few days? like shortsighted policies in place by the present government? what sort of fellows? look at Pakistan, which formed at the same time. Then one will realize the greatness of our constitution and the people involved in its drafting. just the way the authors had the freedom to make their comments, Mr.Athwale also has his freedom to protest.
This is the well established practice of surviving,otherwise who will notice them.One more thing they should do is to demand the srapping of whole syllabus immediately and framing of new syllabus only by SC/ST commission.
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