According to a news report in a Virginia newspaper, a Reston parent Rakesh Bahadur, in a letter to the Fairfax County School Board, said the textbooks discriminated against his family's culture and were factually incorrect. It was disappointing for him to see that so little of the textbooks' space was devoted to Hinduism and that what little information was included was inadequate.

Ann Monday, assistant superintendent for instructional services, was mentioned in the newspaper report as saying that the school system had asked the textbook publishers to revise the sections on Hinduism and India, but the publishers disagreed that major changes were needed. "They don't agree with making the sweeping changes that have been recommended," she was quoted in the report. "But we can convey what we'd like to with supplemental materials." 

To supplement the textbooks, and to present a balanced view of India's regions, religions, and culture, the School Board selected the internationally acclaimed India Unveiled by Robert Arnett, and purchased 50 copies of the award-winning book to be placed in each of their high school libraries. 

The administrator who ordered the books for the schools told Atman Press that they were ordering India Unveiled (www.atmanpress.com) because of requests from Indians that they needed to supplement the inadequate information about India contained in the school textbooks. 

The news report said that School Board Member Stu Gibson was concerned about the portrayal of Hinduism and Indian people in textbooks. “As the community grows more diverse,” he said, “it becomes increasingly important to treat other cultures with respect.”

When Arnett was informed about the selection of the book, he replied, “That is nice that Indian-Americans requested the school district to purchase India Unveiled. I am really not surprised that the school board purchased the books to complement their curriculum, because in my many school presentations throughout America the teachers and librarians have told me how much they enjoy India Unveiled because of its comprehensive portrayal of India, and the beautiful photographs inspire the students to read the book.