The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has distanced itself from a controversy involving a Class VI History textbook displaying the varna or caste system. The picture invited criticism from various political parties, such as the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and other people on the internet who urged the Central Government to remove lessons on the caste system from school textbooks.
The picture explains the varna system in Vedic society, where people were divided on the basis of the work they did. It said that while the Brahmins were priests, teachers and learned people, and the "most respected" in the society, the Kshatriyas were warriors who protected people and maintained law and order. Then came the Vaishyas who were the "common people" in professions such as trade and craftsmanship. At the bottom of this ladder were the Shudras, who, according to the textbook, were labourers who served the needs of the other three castes.
After the picture went viral, the CBSE, in a tweet, said that since it did not print textbooks, it had nothing to do with the issue. "The class 6 History textbook containing topics on Varnas has been wrongly attributed as published by CBSE. This is factually incorrect. It is clarified that CBSE does not publish History textbooks, thus the matter does not relate to CBSE," said the tweet.
In reply to the CBSE's statement, a Twitter user, S Majumdar wrote, "Whoever published, it had pretty bad impact on my son. He started thinking himself superior than others because of his birth in a family with a Brahmin surname. It took me quite long to erase those misleading thoughts from his mind."
The textbook in question was printed by Singapore-based publishing house XSEED Education, said a report by the Free Press Journal.
