Akshay Kumar says history books have ‘less on Prithviraj Chauhan, more on Mughals’. Is he accurate in his claim?

Akshay Kumar, the Bollywood superstar, was heavily trolled on Twitter after he said that school history textbooks lacked information on Hindu kings and that the education ministry needed to strike a balance Why are Bollywood stars prone to the foot-in-mouth syndrome? Superstar Akshay, who will be seen on the big screen on 3 June in Samrat Prithviraj, was heavily criticised after he said that children’s history textbooks are filled with information on Mughals but hardly have any lines on Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan. pic.twitter.com/pb4GmPqzLV https://t.co/FIgtfRtMfU — Vinay Kumar Dokania June 1, 2022 Mughals vs Hindu kings in textbooks The representation of Mughal rules vis-à-vis Hindu kings in history textbooks is not a new issue brought to the fore by Akshay Kumar; in fact, it’s been ongoing for some years now. In July 2021, a research report by the director of Public Policy Research Centre Sumeet Bhasin, researcher Chandni Sengupta, Deepa Kaushik and Sanket Kate, called ‘Distortions and Misrepresentation of India’s past: History textbooks and why they need to change’ had stated that the NCERT history books pay “disproportionate attention” to Mughal rulers.