A Bollywood song has caused a big controversy in India’s Odisha state. The famous song “Nimbuda Nimbuda,” picturized on actress Aishwarya Rai in the 1999 film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, was added to a Class 8 Art Education textbook called Kruti. This textbook was made under India’s National Education Policy 2020.
The book called the song a traditional Rajasthani folk song. But many people got angry and asked why a Bollywood song was used instead of songs from Odisha’s own culture. Pictures of the textbook page went viral on social media, and people criticized the state’s education department for poor planning.
This is not the only mistake found in Odisha textbooks. Officials found more than 1,600 factual, spelling, and printing errors in 55 textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. These books were prepared by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). One strange error called scientist Isaac Newton the “greatest pilot.”
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Education Minister Nityananda Gond have taken action. Four senior officials were suspended, and six others face disciplinary action. A special inquiry is underway.
The government also plans to create a Quality Assurance Cell to check textbooks more carefully in future. Faulty books will be withdrawn, and corrected versions will be printed and shared with schools soon.
