NCERT Says 'Krishna' Textbook Named After Rivers Like the Rest, Pushes Back on Saffronisation and Diet Bias Claims

NCERT has formally responded to growing criticism in Karnataka over its Class 6 Kannada third-language textbook, "Krishna," rejecting claims that the book promotes saffronisation, leans on mythology, or quietly favors a vegetarian-only view of healthy eating.

The clarification, issued on June 25, tackled the controversy on two fronts: why the textbook carries the name it does, and what it actually teaches about food.

The River Behind the Name

NCERT explained that none of its language textbook titles are arbitrary- each one is named after a river, and "Krishna" follows that same convention rather than referencing the Hindu deity, as critics had assumed. The council noted that the Krishna River runs through Karnataka, making it a fitting regional choice for the state's Kannada-language book.

It drew a direct comparison to its other titles: the Hindi book goes by "Ganga," the English book by "Kaveri," and the Urdu book by "Jamuna," a name for the Yamuna river. NCERT framed this as part of a deliberate push toward cultural and regional grounding, tying the choice back to the goals laid out in the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.

What the Diet Chapter Actually Shows

The more pointed objection came from a chapter titled "Health is Wealth," which critics say promotes a "satvik" or purely vegetarian idea of nutrition. Karnataka educationist Niranjanaradhya had gone as far as calling it an attempt to condition children into believing balanced eating means only rotis, milk, and vegetables with fish, eggs, and meat conspicuously absent from the plate shown in the book.

NCERT disputed this characterisation. The council said the chapter frames good health around three pillars - diet, exercise, and hygiene and devotes a dedicated section on page 63 specifically to the idea of a balanced diet. Crucially, NCERT stated that the actual image used to illustrate this section includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items, which runs counter to the claim that meat and eggs were excluded.

NCERT also highlighted that the chapter showcases traditional healthy foods from across Indian states, meant to reflect the country's culinary range rather than push any single dietary philosophy. Its statement was direct on this point: at no stage does the book argue for vegetarianism or speak against eating meat, and the chapter's sole intent is to build general awareness of healthy food habits reinforced through basic exercises like the question, "What is a balanced diet?"

A Wider Set of Complaints

The backlash isn't limited to the title or the food chapter. The People's Alliance for the Fundamental Right to Education (PAFRE) has argued separately that giving a children's textbook the name of a Hindu deity injects religious and mythological undertones into what should be secular educational material.

PAFRE has also flagged a different gap entirely- the near-total absence of Karnataka's own regional voice in the book. The group says the textbook leaves out the folklore, literature, and lived culture of coastal Karnataka, North Karnataka, Malenadu, and Old Mysuru, and that the content fails to engage children at an age-appropriate level, calling the writing flat and overly moralistic.

Where Things Stand

R3, the language slot this textbook fills, is a compulsory third-language subject for Class 6 students, designed to introduce children to a new language at a basic, exploratory level rather than demand fluency. NCERT closed its statement by restating its openness to feedback, saying it welcomes constructive criticism aimed at improving its textbooks within the framework of NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023.

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