Story of Rajput queen Padmini in MP school curriculum from next year: CM Chouhan

Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Padmavati, starring Deepika Padukone, has been facing protests across the country for allegedly distorting history.

Updated on: Nov 22, 2017, 19:19:28 IST

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | By Shruti Tomar

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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.

MP textbooks at present mention queen Padmini in a chapter on the siege of Chittorgarh, but from the next session, a separate chapter depicting her courage and valour will be included.

Chauhan made the announcement in Ujjain during a 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 of the queen 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 --- by Allauddin Khilji, who is said to have been enamoured by the queen’s beauty and invaded the kingdom to take her as his wife.

Official sources said a separate chapter depicting Padmini’s courage and valour will be included in textbooks from the next session.

The opposition Congress, however, 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.

Earlier, Congress leader and Punjab chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, also appeared to back the protests against the film saying “no one has a right to distort history”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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