Himachal board recalls book after faulty translation of districts’ names

A textbook for students of Class 6 in state-run schools of Himachal Pradesh identified Kinnaur district as “transgender” and Mandi as “market”, sparking a backlash from parents and educationists forcing its recall.

The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBoSE) Friday ordered complete withdrawal of the book — Folk Culture of Himachal Pradesh & Yoga — and also decided to distribute free of cost the books that will be reprinted after rectifying the errors.

The book in question is an English version of the book ‘Himachal Pradesh Ki Lok Sanskriti Evam Yog’, introduced in the curriculum from the 2026-27 academic session.

HPBoSE chairman Dr Rajesh Sharma said that the Board introduced the English version of book with the objective of helping students improve their language skills while learning about the state’s folk culture and yoga traditions. Sharma didn’t rule out the possibility that AI or automated translation tools may have been used for translating the text.