Imagine my friend starts a local club called the Nobel Society, gives me an award, and calls me the Edward Jenner of Cyberabad.
Then, my supporters start claiming I’ve won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Eventually, the state govt adds my achievement to textbooks, and the Civil Services exam starts asking questions about it. Absurd, right? Well, something like this has happened.
In 1970, Periyar was honored by UNESCO with an award, the citation of which said: “Periyar, the Prophet of a New Age, Socrates of South Asia, Father of the Social Reform Movement, Arch Enemy of ignorance, superstitions, meaningless customs, and base manners.”
The information was included in State Board school textbooks, examinations, and even in State Public Service Commission question papers.
But here's the catch : The award was not given by the UNESCO you know, but by a local Tamil Nadu club that calls itself UNESCO Mandram. They say they are volunteers who work to promote UNESCO's ideals and values in civil society.
This false information is still mainstream. In 2021, a plea was filed in the Madras High Court to remove it from the textbooks. Don't know what happened to that.
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