Padmini’s story in MP textbooks

CM CHOUHAN HAD EARLIER ANNOUNCED THAT A MEMORIAL WILL BE BUILT IN MP AND AN AWARD WILL ALSO BE INSTITUTED IN RANI PADMINI’S NAME

BHOPAL: The story of Rajput queen Padmini will be taught in Madhya Pradesh schools from next year, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday, two days after banning the Deepika Padukone-starrer, Padmavati, that is facing protests by Hindu right-wing groups for allegedly distorting history.

Chauhan made the announcement in Ujjain during a function function organised by the Rajput community to felicitate him for banning the movie in the state.

“People are unaware of the life history of maharani Padmavati. The young generation is being taught distorted history and there is a need to teach them about the great personality of Padmavati,” he said.

Chouhan had earlier announced that a memorial will be built in MP and an award will also be instituted in her name.

The Rajput community has accused the film’s director Sanjay Leela Bhansali of dishonouring the former queen of Mewar, who is believed to have committed ‘jauhar’, the medieval practice in which female royals walked into funeral fires to embrace death over the dishonour of being taken captive.

MP textbooks at present mentions the queen in a chapter on the siege of Chittorgarh — the capital of Mewar — Allauddin Khilji, who is said to have been enamoured by the queen’s beauty and invaded the kingdom to take her as his wife.

Historians differ on the existence of Padmini, who is said to have been mentioned in a 16th century Sufi epic poem ‘Padmavat. Many say the epic has come to be seen as history despite little evidence.

“I have read all the books of that era, but I didn’t find anything about maharani Padmini. No contemporary writer has written a single word about her courage. I have also read all the books of Rajput vanshavali (family tree), but Padmini is missing in it too,” said Bhopal-based historian Rizwan Uddin Ansari.

The opposition Congress called Chouhan’s move a publicity stunt for gaining political mileage. “If the chief minister believes that maharani Padmavati is a ‘Rashtramata’ (mother of the nation) since his childhood, why he is he announcing it now? All the steps are being taken to please Rajput community for votes,”Congress chief spokesperson KK Mishra said.