# Patna High Court Demands Central Government Response Over Inappropriate Word in Class 1 Lullaby 'Chanda Mama Door Ke'

> The Patna High Court has issued a notice to the central government after an offensive word was mistakenly printed instead of 'Gur' in the famous lullaby inside an NCERT Class 1 Hindi textbook.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Career · **Published:** 2026-09-17 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/career/pahali-kaksha-ki-kitaba-men-chanda-mama-door-ke-kavita-men-galata-shabda-chhapane-para-patna-high-court-sakhta-kendra-se-manga-jav-32931 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** NCERT Textbook Controversy, Chanda Mama Poem Error, Patna High Court, School Education Department, Proofreading Mistake, Sarangi Bhag-1

The traditional lullaby 'Chanda Mama Door Ke, Pue Pakaen Boor Ke' holds a special place in the hearts of millions across India, serving as an essential part of early childhood memory and education. However, a major controversy has erupted over the printing of a highly inappropriate and offensive word in this very poem within a Class 1 Hindi textbook. What was meant to be a beautiful introduction to reading for young children has now escalated into a legal battle, reaching the high court. Acknowledging the gravity of this editorial failure, the Patna High Court has demanded a formal explanation from the central government regarding the quality oversight of school curricula.

 

## Legal Intervention and Judicial Notice

The controversy centers on the Class 1 Hindi textbook titled 'Sarangi Bhag-1', published by NCERT. A local resident from Patna, Somitra Shankar, approached the judiciary by filing a petition highlighting the offensive language printed in the book. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Sudhir Singh took up the matter for hearing. Following the arguments, the bench directed the central government to file a counter-affidavit explaining the circumstances behind this printing error. Representing the petitioner, advocate Shovendra Kumar argued before the court that such improper and offensive language in primary school textbooks severely impacts the impressionable minds of young children and compromises social decency.

 

## Understanding the Nature of the Error

According to the details presented in the petition, the issue lies in the second line of the classic children's poem 'Chanda Mama Door Ke' as printed in the 'Sarangi Bhag-1' textbook. Ideally, the line should have included the sweetening ingredient 'Gur' (jaggery). Instead, a highly objectionable and derogatory word was printed in its place, completely altering the meaning of the verse. The petitioner's counsel, Shovendra Kumar, emphasized that the inclusion of this vulgar term not only distorts a historic nursery rhyme but also insults the dignity of women and society. For first-grade students who are just starting to recognize words and build their vocabulary, such exposure is highly detrimental.

 

## Two and a Half Years of Uncorrected Printing

One of the most alarming aspects highlighted by the petitioner is the sheer duration of this administrative oversight. The textbook in question was initially published in the year 2023. Despite the passage of approximately two and a half years, no efforts were made by the publishing authorities or NCERT to recall the controversial edition or issue a corrected version. The petitioner, upon discovering the error, sought to verify it independently. On July 21, 2026, he purchased a copy of the book from Gyan Ganga Book Depot located in the Kadamkuan area of Patna. Finding the offensive term still intact in the latest available copies, he realized that no rectifying action had been taken over this long period, exposing a massive lapse in the publication workflow.

 

## High Court Timeline and Central Response

Refusing to let the administrative lapse slide, the Patna High Court has set a strict timeline for the government's response. The division bench of Chief Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Sudhir Singh has ordered the respondents, including the central government, to submit their counter-affidavits by October 13, 2026. The court's inquiry aims to pinpoint the exact level at which the negligence occurred and identify the personnel responsible for letting such vulgarity slip into a foundational learning book. While the bench has refrained from making a final ruling at this stage, the upcoming response from the central government is expected to clarify the corrective measures that will be implemented.

 

## Questions Over Proofreading and Quality Checks

This ongoing legal dispute raises fundamental questions about the editing, proofreading, and quality assurance mechanisms employed by national textbook publishers like NCERT. Typically, educational materials for young children undergo rigorous multi-tiered review processes involving curriculum designers, academic experts, language editors, and proofreaders. The fact that a glaringly offensive word remained undetected through multiple stages of production and continued to circulate in classrooms for years indicates a deep-seated failure in quality control. Educational experts argue that such negligence threatens the integrity of primary education and underlines the urgent need for stricter vetting processes before academic materials are distributed nationally.

## What this means for you
The high court's strict stance on textbook errors will directly influence the quality of educational materials and the vetting process for school curricula.

  - **Across India:** National textbook publishers will enforce much stricter proofreading standards for school curriculum materials. This means children nationwide will eventually receive error-free textbooks with appropriate language.

  - **In Bihar and Patna:** Local bookstores and distributors might have to re-evaluate their current stock of Class 1 Hindi books. If the court orders a recall, parents in the region will need to replace the older, faulty editions with revised ones.

  - **For Parents:** Families will need to become more proactive in reviewing their children's primary school textbooks for potential printing errors. This vigilance will help prevent young kids from inadvertently learning inappropriate terms at an early age.

## Why this happened
The appearance of such a highly inappropriate word in a primary school textbook is attributed to massive administrative negligence and a complete breakdown of the quality check mechanism. Despite the book being in circulation since 2023, the responsible editorial boards failed to detect or correct the error for years.

  - **Breakdown of Quality Checks:** The multi-layered proofreading and editing system of NCERT completely failed to identify the error before the final print run. The teams of subject matter experts and editors did not thoroughly review the texts meant for young children.

  - **Severe Delay in Corrections:** No rectifying action was initiated by the publishing authorities for nearly two and a half years after the textbook's launch. The administrative machinery remained completely inactive until a public interest litigation was officially filed in court.

  - **Lack of Local Verification:** School administrations and book distributors did not flag this highly offensive word despite distributing the text to students. The petitioner had to buy a copy from Kadamkuan in Patna to officially verify and present the printed proof to the court.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Which textbook and poem are at the center of this entire controversy?
This controversy is over the popular children's poem 'Chanda Mama Door Ke' printed in NCERT's Class 1 Hindi textbook 'Sarangi Bhag-1'.

### 2. What exactly was the mistake in the publication of the poem?
In the second line of the poem, where the word 'Gur' should have been written, a highly objectionable and inappropriate word was reportedly printed instead.

### 3. Which court is handling this case and what action has been taken?
The case has reached the Patna High Court, where a division bench of Chief Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Sudhir Singh has sought a response from the central government.

### 4. In which year was the controversial book published and why went unnoticed for so long?
The book was published in 2023 and had been in circulation without correction for nearly two and a half years, which is seen as a major administrative lapse.

### 5. How much time has the court given the central government to file its response?
The Patna High Court has set a deadline of October 13, 2026, for the central government and other respondents to submit their counter-affidavits.

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