Entertainment: Controversy over inclusion of chapter on actress Tamannaah Bhatia in textbooks

Entertainment: According to reports, parents of a private school in Hebbal, Bengaluru have expressed their displeasure over the inclusion of actress Tamannaah Bhatia in the school textbooks. The issue came to light after the guardians approached the school administration to express their objections and later involved the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and allied managements of primary and secondary schools in Karnataka after receiving an “inadequate response”. The chapter titled ‘Life after Partition: Migration, Communities and Conflict in Sindh, 1947 to 1962’ is part of the Sindhi high school’s Class 7 textbook, which aims to provide information about the history and experiences of the Sindhi community, particularly focusing on the linguistic minority aspect.

According to reports, parents objected to the inclusion of Tamannaah Bhatia along with other prominent Sindhi celebrities such as actor Ranveer Singh. Their displeasure stemmed from what they saw as a miscalculation in the educational objectives of the chapter and the selection of individuals included in it. In addition, allegations surfaced that the school administration employed intimidation tactics, threatening to issue transfer certificates to students whose parents objected. This raised concerns about the handling of dissent and the role of parents in educational matters. “We have no objection to introducing children to another culture. But our objection is about having a chapter on an actor that is inappropriate for Grade 7 students,” a parent told the publication.