Publishers sorry, say Tilak ‘originator of extremism’, not ‘father of terrorism’

JAIPUR: Two days after HT carried a story on a Class 8 reference book in Rajasthan referring to freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak as the ‘father of terrorism’, its publishers issued a public apology in a newspaper on Sunday.

The book for social studies by Mathura-based Students Advisor Publications Pvt Ltd is used by private English-medium schools affiliated to the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE).

On page 267 in chapter 22 under the heading ‘Incidents of National Movement during Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century’, it says, “Tilak demonstrated a path towards national movement, therefore, he is called as the father of terrorism.”

On Sunday, in a small regret tucked away in a corner of a local Hindi daily, the publishers said: “We apologise for the mistake, namely – Bal Gangadhar Tilak being referred to as ‘Father of Terrorism’ instead of ‘Originator of Extremism’ in Student Advisor Social Science Class 8. The mistake has been corrected in the new edition and the copies carrying the said mistake have been recalled. We really feel regret for this human mistake.”

“This was a mistake by the translator. The error was rectified once it came to our knowledge. About 5,000 copies of the January edition having erroneous wordings have been recalled and amended copies have been sent,” said Arun Mittal, publisher of ‘Student Advisor Publication Private Limited.

But historians feel ‘originator of extremism’ is equally derogatory. Historian Pramila Poonia said, “The British called him ‘father of Indian unrest’, but for us, he was a great nationalist.”