ABVP protests against contents of English textbook

Jaipur, Sep 25 (UNI) Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad (ABVP) activists today burnt copies of a elementary textbook here meant for teachers' training, claiming its contents demean Indian culture and ethos.

The elementary education book, meant to train teachers in English language, supposedly contains words like boyfriend, kiss and pictures of women in bikini sun-bathing at sea-beaches, which ABVP says, are ''obscene and contrary to Indian values.'' The ABVP, which burnt copies of the book at Shiksha Sankul (Education Deaprtemnt) today, alleged that the book does not contain any picture of the Indian flag but has photographs of all other countries' flags.

''It also has western cuisines and influences instead of any Indian content. If the teachers are trained from these kinds of books, what will the children learn,'' ABVP's organisation Secretary Rishi Bansal told UNI.

''We are not against the teaching of English language but the contents which are obscene and derogatory to our culture,'' he added.

The contents of the book has been prepared by a company called Lingophone, which has been given a Rs 10 crore contract for the purpose.

The ABVP are demanding that the company be blacklisted or they will soon launch a full-fledged agitation against it, which will spread to other parts of the state.

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