An illustration depicting Tamil poet Subramania Bharati (Bharathiar) sporting a saffron turban — instead of his trademark white headgear — on the cover of the State Board class XII Tamil textbook has stirred up a controversy.

The General Tamil textbook was released by School Education Minister K.A. Sengottaiyan in the presence of Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation Chairperson B. Valarmathi in Chennai.

‘Always white’

“This is the first time that poet Bharathiar has been depicted in a saffron turban. I have been teaching Tamil to students for long and have never seen any image of Bharathiar with a saffron turban. His turban has always been white,” said a government schoolteacher.

“When has anyone seen Bharathiar with a saffron turban?” asked former School Education Minister and DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu. He charged that the illustration was part of a subtle attempt to saffronise textbooks, adding, “This is an attempt to subconsciously give students a different image of Bharathiar.”

Contribution overlooked

“We have heard of content being removed and altered in history textbooks but this is the first time that a Tamil textbook is mired in controversy,” said a Tamil teacher. He pointed out that only temples had been illustrated on the cover of the textbook. “This is an attempt to get the message across that only Hinduism worked for Tamil,” he argued.

The contribution of Christian scholars such as Joseph Constantine Beschi, known as Veeramamunivar, and G.U. Pope as well as Muslim scholar Umaruppulavar among others had often been overlooked, the teacher said.

Despite multiple attempts, Mr. Sengottaiyan could not be reached for comments.

Ms. Valarmathi rejected the charge that Bharathiar’s depiction was part of an attempt to saffronise education.

“This is a State government-issued textbook and there is no question of politics or religion in education. It could be a genuine mistake. If it is so, it will be looked into and sorted out,” she added.