A new Class 6 Marathi textbook brought out by Balbharati, Maharashtra’s state textbook production board, has run into criticism after educationists said it gives more prominence to folk dances from other states than to Maharashtra’s own traditions.
The chapter on folk dances (lokgeete) features five dance forms in all — but only one, the Dindi dance, represents Maharashtra. The remaining four are from outside the state: Raas from Gujarat, Bhangra from Punjab, a farmers’ folk dance from Chhattisgarh, and an Adivasi folk dance from Bihar.
Critics, including Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi, former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, argued that Maharashtra has a rich repertoire of folk dance traditions — such as Lavani, Lezim, Dhangari Gaja, Gondhal, Koli dance and Powada — and that students should first be given a broader introduction to these before learning about other states’ traditions.
Balbharati director Anuradha Oak, responding to Joshi’s letter, said the textbook was prepared for the 2026-27 academic year and was authored by Sarojini Babar, a writer on Marathi folk literature. She said the intent was to introduce students to India’s cultural diversity, and that the chapter deliberately began with Maharashtra’s Dindi dance before moving to other states, following a “known to unknown” teaching approach.
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