Department for Education (DfE) in England launched a new music curriculum guide for schools. The guidance has included songs namely Kishori Amonkar’s ‘Saheli Re‘, Anoushka Shankar’s ‘Indian Summer‘, AR Rahman’s ‘Jai Ho‘ and Bollywood chartbuster song ‘Munni Badnam Hui‘ as a part of the Indian musical references included in the DfE guidance for schools. As per reports in Economic Times, the Model Music Curriculum has been developed by a panel of 15 music education specialists – teachers, education leaders and musicians from across the UK.

The guidance read as “It is important to recognise that modern British identity is rich and diverse, resulting in communities which celebrate and explore their own specific, localised ‘cultural capital’. Kishori Amonkar was one of the leading vocalists of Indian classical music in the 20th century. Amonkar’s approach to music emphasised the spiritual as articulated in her statement that ‘To me, it [music] is a dialogue with the divine, this intensely focused communication with the ultimate other’. Further listening might include performances where the melody is instrumental, such as the music of Ravi and Anoushka Shankar.”

About the ‘Munni Badnaam Hui‘ song from Dabangg, the note stated, “Item numbers feature in Bollywood movies without about the plot, and while the protagonist, policeman Chulbul, enters this song the main performer/producer, Malaika Arora, only appears in this number.”

The guidance added, “The song includes many typical features of Bollywood films in its music, dance and colourful visuals.”

The news has become instantly viral on the Internet and a topic of discussion too.