Hindustan Times: Dhoni, Deepika, Asunta find place in Jharkhand school books
2 January 2016
Prabash C Jha
Schoolchildren in Jharkhand will now learn about sports icons from the state who have contributed immensely to their respective fields and made India proud time and again.
The new text books, which will be distributed among government school students for the new session from April, will have chapters about India ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, ace archer Deepika Kumari, hockey players Asunta Lakra and late Jaipal Singh.
While Dhoni and Deepika need little or no introduction, for the uninitiated, Asunta is the former captain of Indian women’s hockey team who took it to glorious heights. Hockey India recently started a new national award of Rs 10 lakh for the most promising player in Asunta Lakra’s name.
Legendary late Jaipal Singh was captain of the 1926 Amsterdam Olympics gold-winning Indian hockey team. His profile can be gauged from the fact that all time legend Major Dhyanchand had played under his captaincy.
Jharkhand Council of Education Research and Training (JCERT) has decided to include biographies of these sports doyens in the syllabus so that children are inspired by reading their stories and emulate their high spirits.
“Dhoni, Deepika, Asunta and legendary late Jaipal Singh are our state’s iconic personalities. Their exploits in the field are unmatched. We are privileged and proud to teach their biographies to our children” said state HRD minister Neera Yadav.
Yadav said children inclined to sports have a habit of emulating their icons.
“I am sure biographies of the four players we have inserted in our syllabus would inspire scores of children and help them frame their career and become good citizens,” the minister added.
Interestingly beginning this year, Jharkhand has decided to replace the NCERT books with JCERT ones that will not only be comparatively cheaper but will also be readily available on time.
Distribution of books among government school going children on time is a major hassle in the state. Never ever in the last 15 years of its formation, Jharkhand has been able to give books to its children during the beginning of the new session.
“Learning from our past experiences, we decided to publish own books and distribute them,” the minister said.
The books have already been printed and delivered to the state human resource development (HRD) department. The process would be initiated soon to distribute them on time.
Families and fans of these sportspersons said they are excited about the new development and feel honoured.
“Including Dhoni’s biography in school syllabus is a big reward for him and our family,” Dhoni’s brother-in-law, Gautam Gupta, said.
Class 4 student Aishwarya Sakshim, a die-hard fan of Dhoni, said she is happy.
“I am eagerly waiting for the text book to read his biography,” Sakshim said.
Deepika’s father, Shiv Charan Prajapati, said he was proud of his daughter when he was told that she has found a place in school text books at such an early age.
There are 45,680 state-run schools in Jharkhand imparting education to nearly 52.50 lakh children.