Outrage after CBSE Class XII textbook says a woman's perfect body is 36-24-36

They say that what we learn in schools lays the foundation for how we behave as adults. A lot of importance is given on early education, and an individuals' behaviour after school reflects on the way s/he has been taught.

But then, there have been instances of textbooks landing in controversy over the content they provide. People have expressed outrage over a textbook suggesting  that people eating non-vegetarian food were violent and told lies. More recently, animal activists were aghast at an experiment that suggested that students put a cat inside a box with no vents to 'scientifically show how mammals needed oxygen'.

Now, another textbook - a Class XII CBSE textbook titled Health and Physical Education Textbook, written by Dr VK Sharma, published by New Saraswati House - has landed in controversy because of the way it describes the 'perfect female body'.  While exercising is advised to remain fit and healthy, the book propagates — “Exercise makes figure beautiful”. The shocking contents of the book do not end there, it further reminds us that “the 36-24-36 figure does not come up by chance.” Advocating that the so-called perfect body shape can be attained “through regular and various types of exercise.”

Physical Education Book, 12th standard. pic.twitter.com/wpruZPBuXC

— Anuj Khurana (@HaddHaiYaar) April 10, 2017

Naturally, people haven't taken kindly to the remarks made in the textbook. Here are some of the responses:

@dhariyat007 @HaddHaiYaar and then there's this... I mean HOW do you make the world a better place to live in? HOW?

— Shweta Dubey (@_WishKey) April 12, 2017

@HaddHaiYaar WTF! who wrote this "textbook"? And Ugh WTF was editors doing?#BodyImage schooling in #CBSE #Book #Education

— Karnika Kapoor (@karnikakapoor) April 11, 2017