The Central Board of School Education has reportedly removed certain portions from Class 10 Social Science book. These portions include translated excerpts of Urdu poems by revolutionary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the "Religion, Communalism and Politics — Communalism, Secular State" section of NCERT's Class 10 textbook "Democratic Politics II".
As such, the images, including two posters and political cartoon, from on page 46, 48 and 49, according to the CBSE's 2022-23 academic curriculum released on Thursday. A poster of NGO ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy), co-founded by activists Shabnam Hashmi and Harsh Mander, which had Faiz's poem in the illustration is among the deleted contents of the book.
Which Faiz verses were used in the book?
One of the deleted verse is from Faiz's famous poem "Aaj bazar mai pa-ba-jaula chalo (… Today, walk in the public square fettered in chains)". The poem was written by Faiz while he was jailed in Lahore prison in 1959. The inspiration for the poem came from the crowd that followed Faiz as he was being taken to a dentist's office in a horse cart (tonga) while being held in shackles, according to Rekhta. People recognised the poet as the cart meandered through familiar streets. Faiz then penned the feelings through the poem.
chashm-e-nam jān-e-shorīda kaafī nahīñ
tohmat-e-ishq-e-poshīda kaafī nahīñ
aaj bāzār meñ pā-ba-jaulāñ chalo
Translation: "Not enough to shed tears, to suffer anguish, not enough to nurse love in secret… Today, walk in the public square fettered in chains"
The other verse that has been omitted is from his poem "Dhaka Se Wapsi Par (On Returning from Dhaka)", written in 1974 after his visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1974.
"ham ki Thahre ajnabī itnī mudārātoñ ke ba.ad
phir baneñge āshnā kitnī mulāqātoñ ke ba.ad
kab nazar meñ aa.egī be-dāġh sabze kī bahār
ḳhuun ke dhabbe dhuleñge kitnī barsātoñ ke ba.ad"
Translation: "We remain strangers even after so many meetings, blood stains remain even after so many rains."
This was particularly in context of breaking away of Bangladesh, East Pakistan, from Pakistan in 1971 after Bangladesh Liberation War. "The poem relating to a rupture in relationship was a reference to the parting of ways of East and West Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh in 1971." Express Tribune wrote in an article on Faiz's poetry in 2015.
It was indeed an emotional moment for Faiz to visit Bangladesh in 1974 where he found many of his acquaintances didn't show up. "During that official trip of 1974, where he accompanied the Pakistani Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, many of Faiz's friends didn't show up, either because they had disappeared during the Pakistani Army excesses or had decided to stay away because of what they had felt Faiz's deliberate silence about army repression," Mosarrap H. Khan wrote in 2015.
Which other topics have been deleted?
Not only the verses from Faiz's poetry, but chapters on the Non-Aligned Movement, the Cold War era, the rise of Islamic empires in Afro-Asian territories, the chronicles of Mughal courts, and the industrial revolution have been cropped out of the political science books for CBSE Class 11 and 12. 'Impact of globalisation from chapter 'Food Security' in Class 10 social science book has been removed.
Why were the topics removed?
Reports quoted CBSE officials saying that the changes were were 'part of the syllabus rationalisation process and were in line with NCERT recommendations.'
"CBSE annually provides curriculum for classes 9 to 12 containing academic content, syllabus for examinations with learning outcomes, pedagogical practices and assessment guidelines. Considering the feedback of stakeholders and other prevailing conditions, the board is in favour of conducting the annual scheme of assessment at the end of the academic session 2022-23 and the curriculum has been designed accordingly," PTI quoted a senior board official.
