'Mutilated Beyond Recognition,' Suhas Palshikar, Yogendra Yadav Urge Removal As Chief Advisors From NCERT Textbooks

New Delhi: Embarrassed by their names being mentioned as 'Chief Advisors' in NCERT textbooks amid rationalisation exercises, academic and political scientist Suhas Palshikar urged the organisation to remove his and activist Yogendra Yadav's mention as 'chief advisors' from the book.

In a letter addressed to Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director of NCERT, Palshikar and Yadav said that they fail to see any 'pedagogic rationale' in the modifications in NCERT textbooks and find the text 'mutilated beyond recognition'.

The request from these renowned academicians comes amid the rationalisation process being implemented by NCERT in textbooks, which includes deletions to chapters on Maulana Azad, Gandhi, Darwin's theory of evolution, periodic tables, and many other cuts which critics say is an attempt to 'saffronise' the education system.

"If NCERTY did consult with other experts for deciding on these cuts and deletions, we explicitly state that we disagree with them fully in this regard," added the letter.

Once proud chief advisors to the book, the letter by the academicians have now urged the NCERT to remove the tags in the 'Letter to the students' and also from the list of Textbook Development Team at the beginning of each textbook.

"We request you to give effect to this request immediately and ensure that our names are not used in the soft copies of the textbooks available at the NCERT websites and also in the subsequent print editions," the letter concluded.