Thiruvananthapuram: The Central Board of Secondary Education has removed the portion about 'Channar revolt,' commonly known as 'Upper Cloth Revolt' or 'Maaru Marakkal Samaram' from the ninth standard social science textbook. A CBSE circular has said that no questions from the controversial section will be asked in the coming annual examinations. Mr Vishnupuram Chandrasekharan, chairman of the Nadar community organisation Vaikunda Swamy Dharma Pracharanasabha (VSDP), told this news paper that the Nadar community organisations, including VSD and Tamil Nadu government, had objected to some of the references in the textbook.
According to them, the term 'Channar' is objectionable. History was also twisted by not giving proper references in the textbook about Viakunda Swamy who initiated the movement. Earlier, also, following complaints about the use of the word 'Channar,' it was removed from the textbook in 2015. However, the word was inserted again when the textbook was printed this year. There is also a factually incorrect statement in the portion about the community being the domestic servants of a certain sections belonging to the upper caste, Mr Chandrasekharan said.
They have demanded reintroduction of the portion next year by removing all wrong information and reflecting the role of Viakunda Swamy in the struggle, he said. The 'Upper Cloth Revolt' was against the caste practice prevailing in Travancore in the 19th century wherein men and women belonging to the community were not allowed to cover their upper body portions. The textbook has also references to the attack on Nadar women by the upper castes for covering the upper body.
