The Council of School Certificate Examination (CISCE) has reportedly prescribed several popular books of our times, including Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Amar Chitra Katha and Titin, for English Literature classes in its schools.
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty was recently asked for her views on the board's move and this is what she said.
"Books like Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) and Harry Potter as part of the syllabus is a great move because it cultivates imagination and creativity at a young age. They should include books like Little Women, as it encourages respect towards women at a young age. Even a book like Animal Farm can teach the little ones to love and care for animals."
No sooner did a clip of Shetty's comment, in which she misinterprets Animal Farm- George Orwell's dystopian novel based on the Russian Revolution of 1917- started doing rounds on social media, Twitterati created the hashtag "ShilpaShettyReviews" to troll her.
"The Lord Of The Rings is the best autobiography of Bappi Lahiri ever." #ShilpaShettyReviews
— Harish Iyengaar (@scaryhairyman) November 28, 2016
"Fifty Shades of Grey is an amazing coloring book.Children will love it"#ShilpaShettyReviews
— Fats (@a_bit_too_much) November 28, 2016
The Hunger Games is a great series on Karwa Chauth. #ShilpaShettyReviews
— Nirwa Mehta (@nirwamehta) November 28, 2016
Books like 'To Kill a Mockingbird' should be banned as they promote violence and murder of the exotic birds.
— Mahrukh (@Mahrukh_bhutta) November 28, 2016
#ShilpaShettyReviews
Twitter divided by views but united by #ShilpaShettyReviews
— BADmayes! (@TheBadBong) November 28, 2016
Gulliver's Travels is a great book recounting the remarkable journeys of India's PM, Narendra Modi #ShilpaShettyReviews
— Sand-d Singh (@Sand_In_Deed) November 28, 2016
"V for Vendetta is a great book to introduce kids to English alphabets." #ShilpaShettyReviews
— k (@Kerouacrow) November 28, 2016
“The Hobbit is good. All children should develop good hobbits.” #ShilpaShettyReviews
— Harish Iyengaar (@scaryhairyman) November 28, 2016
The Life of Pi should be read by all children as it will enhance their mathematical skills. #ShilpaShettyReviews
— Shashank Singh (@RccShashank) November 28, 2016
I just read a fine book about aquatic plants. It was called Sea of Poppies. #ShilpaShettyReviews
— naresh fernandes (@tajmahalfoxtrot) November 28, 2016
However, there are also some who have supported the actor.
because why blame a paper produced by multiple editors if you can laugh at the woman who probably didn't say the thing? #ShilpaShettyReviews
— Supriya Nair (@supriyan) November 28, 2016
In defense of Shilpa Shetty, even Gulliver's Travels is satire, but kids enjoy it. Animal Farm bhi enjoy kar lenge, as fantasy, not satire
— Rahul Roushan (@rahulroushan) November 28, 2016