An innocent learning exercise at a prominent Bengaluru school has turned into a political controversy. A right-wing student organisation has threatened to protest the Delhi Public School (north) for conducting a Chinese food fest as part of a cultural study programme.
DPS had announced a cultural familiarisation project on 11 August, as part of their commitment to the British Council’s International School Award project. Students were asked to bring food from cuisines of countries like USA, France, Denmark, Spain, and China, and to wear the respective country’s traditional attire, as part of the project.
Students of Class I were assigned to bring food and costumes with the China theme.
Similar circulars were sent for projects on USA, France, Denmark, and Spain as well. However, the memo on China began circulating on WhatsApp groups, and was soon picked up by two local channels which aggressively painted the move as an attempt to support China amid the border standoff.
On Thursday, following the threat by the student body, the school withdrew the project.
The criticism to this project is absurd, but keeping the safety of the children in mind, we have called off the project.Mansoor Ali Khan, member, board of directors, DPS.
Even the Block Education Officer, in-charge of the school, paid a visit to the campus on Thursday morning. The officer returned satisfied with the school’s explanation.
“Out of over 5,000 students in the school, around 30 students had the China project. It seems there is deliberate attempt to make controversies out of small things,” Khan added.
(Love your mother tongue? This Independence Day, tell The Quint why and how you love your bhasha. You may even win a BOL t-shirt! Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)