In MP, Krishna Not Makhan Chor But A Rebel

The Madhya Pradesh culture department is mulling revising the school syllabus to ‘reset the narrative’ of ‘makhan chor’ right by explaining how ‘Natkhat (mischievous) Nandlal’ adopted the tactic of breaking pots of butter to deny Kansa, the tyrant ruler of Vrishni kingdom, the luxury of savouring it as a mark of rebellion against injustice.

“We will try to bring some changes in the school syllabus to rightly enlighten the children about Lord Krishna,” Dr Ram Tiwari, culture adviser to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, told the media here.

The move comes days after Yadav narrated how there was a misconception about Lord Krishna as far as the image of ‘makhan chor’ is concerned. He was addressing a function to mark the Sri Krishna Janmasthami celebrations on August 16.

“Breaking pots of butter by Lord Krishna was an act of rebellion against Kansa”, Yadav had said, and lamented that the narrative was not rightly projected which gave birth to misconceptions.

“Lord Krishna had exhorted his friends to eat the butter, then break the pots so that it won’t reach ‘our enemy’ (Kansa),” Yadav had said. It was a message of resistance against injustice by Lord Krishna, he added.

Tiwari indicated that a social campaign would be launched to change this misconception about Lord Krishna by roping in religious leaders, preachers and storytellers.

The Chief Minister had earlier unveiled the government’s plan to create a ‘Krishna Pathey’ religious circuit by developing sites associated with Lord Krishna in Madhya Pradesh.

Legend has it that Lord Krishna got his schooling in the ashram of Guru Sandeepani in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, famously known as ‘Sandeepani Ashram’, where he learned 64 arts in 64 days.