The Rajasthan Government has now started teaching schoolchildren the history of drinking in mythological India. In the Class IX textbook, the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education has brewed a heady mix of myth and madira to establish that alcoholism was rampant in Vedic India. And this, when the Vasundhara Raje Scindia government is facing criticism for introducing a policy that encourages drinking through easy and cheap availability. Though the book was meant to educate students on the perils of ‘‘alcoholism and drug abuse’’, the various references to the Ramayana and the Mahabharata have incensed Education Minister and RSS strongman, Ghanshyam Tiwari, who has ordered that it be withdrawn from the syllabus. Convener of the Rajasthan Board, Vimal Prasad Aggarwal, said that they had erred in including the chapter in the book. ‘‘We offer an apology to the public,’’ he said, adding that the board is withdrawing the book and deleting the controversial chapter. ‘‘We have blacklisted the author and the editor of the book,’’ said Aggarwal. In a section titled ‘Drug Abuse and Alcoholism: An Indological Perspective’, the book claims that the episode of ‘Bharat Milap’ (the meeting between Lord Rama and his brother) was marked by drunken revelry. When Bharat and his entourage reached the ashram of saint Bharadwaj, the royal guests were offered drinks, it says. The book also claims that monkey king Sugriva and his army organised a festival to celebrate the finding of Sita, where they consumed so many intoxicants that they became uncontrollable. They made a lot of noise and collapsed under the influence of intoxicants, says the section. Even Lord Hanuman was witness to drunken scenes during the period, the book claims, saying that when the monkey God reached Lanka in search of Sita, he found many women lolling around in a drunken stupor. The Mahabharata also finds mention in the book. The author claims that Lord Krishna’s brother Balram was fond of drinking. And liquor came to be known as ‘Halpriya’ (after Haldhar, another name for Balram) because of this association. The book claims that the Manusmriti describes drinking as a big sin. And those who imbibe the spirit and make money by dealing in it are sinners. Education Minister Tiwari said the chapter was highly objectionable and has directed the board to take legal action against the author. The Rajasthan Government’s literary leanings have created trouble in the past as well. A few weeks ago, the state tourism department has issued a guidebook, hard-selling Sati temples as hot destinations. Earlier, a publication of the Government’s public relations department had claimed that Raje had become the CM to avenge the death of an ancestor who had been killed in a battle near Jodhpur.
