A school text book from West Bengal is in news, but for ll the wrong reasons. As exposed by an investigative Twitter user, the school text book in a major goof up, has placed the photo of actor Farhan Akhtar, in place of the athlete Milkha Singh, as a reference for the local students.
As pointed out by a Twitter user, who goes by the name Lyfe Ghosh, the Bengali text book describes the ‘Flying Sikh’ and his achievements in the field of athletics. However, in what would be seen as a major embarrassment for the concerned school, as well as the publishers, the textbook shows Farhan Akhtar as Milkha Singh instead of the real one, as shown in the tweet below:-
https://twitter.com/Lyfeghosh/status/1030748217892265984
For those unaware, Farhan Akhtar had essayed the role of the legendary athlete in the highly successful sports drama ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, for which he received a number of accolades, as well as the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 2014. Directed by ‘Rang De Basanti’ fame Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, this movie also earned a National Award for the Best Film Providing Wholesome Popular Entertainment.
However, this does give any respite to the textbook publishers from West Bengal for the massive blunder that clearly reflects the gross negligence meted out to the education sector by the incumbent government. We’re no strangers to the current position of the state of West Bengal, but this is an attempt to play with the future of the children of this state in the pursuit for power, which is clearly not acceptable.
To everyone’s surprise, even the actor Farhan Akhtar himself took notice of the error, and issued the following tweet:-
To the Minister of School Education, West Bengal.
There is a glaring error with the image used in one of the school text books to depict Milkha Singh-ji. Could you please request the publisher to recall and replace this book?
Sincerely. @derekobrienmp https://t.co/RV2D3gV5bd— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) August 19, 2018
In this tweet, he not only criticized the error, but also recommended the Minister of Education for the state to rectify the error as soon as possible. As of now, according to the TMC spokesperson and ex quizmaster Derek O Brien, as replied to Farhan Akhtar on the tweet, the government is ‘working on it.’ However, the following tweet by Farhan Akhtar was a bit too ironic, as taking education seriously is the last thing the TMC government would have on their minds:-
Appreciate your response. Tagged you since you take education very seriously.
— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) August 19, 2018
Ever since Mamata Banerjee was reelected to power in 2016, education has literally taken a backseat. In a blind quest to retain power, Mamata has not only ignored the need to give importance to quality education, but has also given wind to hooliganism in the education sector.
From extortion rackets swallowing the hard earned money of the parents, to intentionally marking students low as per personal whims and prejudices, you name it and Bengal is witnessing it right now. As such, this embarrassment is not really a surprise for a state where the quality of education imparted is already deteriorating.
It is a matter of shame as to how such a goofup was allowed in the state, which was once known for its supreme intellect and impeccable knowledge among the rest of India. If the state that has given people like Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo doesn’t even manage to get the right photo for the right person in a school textbook, you know something is seriously wrong in this state. We hope that sense prevails soon.