Aakupacchani Muggu, a story written by Vempalle Shareef, a writer from Vempalle town in Kadapa district and recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, has been included in the curriculum of degree students, by the Andhra Pradesh government.
In addition to the seven skill courses in the current undergraduate (UG) curriculum of a single major stream, two Social Science courses have been introduced in the third and fourth semester from the academic year 2024-25. Degree students studying Social Sciences will have a special paper for 50 marks, introduced to achieve UNESCO’s proposed goals of peace and sustainable development based on the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), a UNESCO-affiliated body that offers resources for children interested in peace education and sustainable development.
As part of this, Mr. Sharif’s story Aakupacchani Muggu has been selected to promote peace and harmony in society. “The story is about a Muslim girl who initially draws traditional patterns in front of her house and later shifts to drawing them with turmeric on her palms,” said Mr. Shareef, speaking to The Hindu. He further explained that the idea of the story is to drive home the message that the difference between religions is minimal and that there is no need for conflict over such practices. He says the curriculum developers have cited this story as a significant work promoting harmony.
Born in a middle class Muslim family, Mr. Shareef’s collection of stories titled ‘Jumma’ won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2012. He has written eight books and his stories have been translated into Hindi, English, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Konkani and Maithili.
He has a Ph.D. in Journalism, and his published research book Language and Culture in TV Commercials is used as a reference book in various universities for journalism and MBA students. In addition to Mr. Shareef’s story, other works selected for the curriculum this semester include Pipilikam by Ravi Shastri, Nallapusalu by Pola Pragada Rajyalakshmi and Ee Polam Ammabadunu by Penumaka Ratnakar.
Mr. Shareef expressed gratitude to the Curriculum Development Committee for selecting his story alongside other great works.
Published - September 06, 2024 09:03 pm IST
