AHMEDABAD: Controversy erupted over the class 9 Hindi ( second language ) textbook published by the Gujarat State School Textbook Board (GSSTB) using adjective 'hevaan’ or demon before Jesus Christ. The offended Christian community said that it had flagged the error to the government over a month back.

Chapter 16 in the textbook titled ‘Bharatiya sanskriti mein guru-shishya sambandh ’ (teacher-student relationship in Indian culture) says “Is sambandh me hevaan Isa ka ek kathan sada smaraniya hai (In this context, one statement of demon Jesus is always memorable). Christ is quoted as saying, “My followers are much greater than me and I am not worthy enough to be even their shoes.”

Spokesperson of Catholic Church of Gujarat Fr Vinayak Jhadav said a month back the error was pointed out to the chairman of the GSSTB, the principal secretary of education and the chairman of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI). "Prima facie it appears that the word 'hevaan’, which is demon or beast or devil, may be a typo and we had requested an immediate correction. When we did not hear from the textbook board, we took the matter to the Gujarat United Christian Forum and decided to represent the case before the state education minister for an explanation, correction and disciplinary action against those responsible for the error. This is not about religion, it is about quality of education ."



In Video: Jesus Christ a demon in Gujarat textbook