Must-read for MP kids: A saffron magazine

The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has prescribed for its primary students a widely-circulated childrens magazine that makes no bones about its right-wing association....

The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has prescribed for its primary students a widely-circulated childrens magazine that makes no bones about its right-wing association.

Devputra,which boasts of a circulation of more than 1.3 lakh copies and recently devoted a special issue to RSS ideologue Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar,will reach each of the 83,400 government primary schools in Madhya Pradesh. The Hindi monthly is published by Indore-based Saraswati Bal Kalyan Nyas and goes to every Saraswati Shishu Mandir because its recognised by Vidya Bharati,an RSS-affiliated body.

A major chunk of a Rs 19-crore fund meant for getting students to read books under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) will go towards payment of life subscription of the monthly. In one go,the publisher will get Rs 13 crore,while the remainder of the fund will be spent on buying Barkha,a 40-part series of books published by the NCERT,and Rs 30 lakh on buying Bal Bharati,a government publication.

What is wrong in prescribing good literature? I take pride in the fact that we will make our primary students read this, Education Minister Archana Chitnis told The Indian Express,claiming the magazine was among the largest-selling monthlies. The minister said the decision was taken at the general body meeting of SSA and was endorsed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

We are a democratically elected government. We dont have to put pressure on anybody. I take decisions for officials to implement, she said when told that some officers were apprehensive and not ready to put the idea into effect. They were worried because Devputra is brought out by a private publisher.

Those who have a problem with saffron colour should also have a problem with the sun, the minister retorted to the charge that the decision amounts to saffronisation of education because the publication is a must in RSS schools.

A senior officer of the State Education Centre admitted that the issue had been settled once the minister and the CM cleared the proposal.

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If talking of nationalism makes us right-wing let it be so, said the monthlys editorial hand Gopal Maheshwari.

We were trying to get the government to subscribe the magazine for its schools since the Congress was in power. It is true that we put Guruji on the cover during his birth centenary year but then we have also devoted issues to revolutionaries,science and a host of other subjects, reasoned Krishna Kumar Asthana,the magazines editor.