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Teachers say major changes in syllabi without academic consultation signal censorship, centralised control of edu

- IFRAH MUFTI @ New Delhi

IN a move that has sparked debate in academic circles, Delhi University's English Department has included poems by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Post-Independence Indian Literatures paper for its postgraduate syllabus.

The decision has drawn criticism from students and scholars who argued on Friday that Vajpayee's work lacks the literary depth and critical engagement required for postgraduate-level study. Many questions were raised soon after the Executive Council (EC) meeting on Friday approved the addition of Vajpayee's poems.

Mithuraaj Dhusiya, a teacher activist and Executive Council member, questioned, "Why have celebrated Hindi poets such as Dhoomil, Nirala, and Muktibodh—figures known for capturing the complex socio-political realities of their time—been sidelined? Moreover, Vajpayee's poems carry no literary value to figure in the postgraduate syllabus of the DU English Department."