Why did the man steering India’s school curriculum feel the need to make such an outrageously false claim? Was it driven by WhatsApp forwards, a polished presentation from an RSS affiliate, or simply unchecked nationalist hype? The public has a right to know — especially when statements like these from the top risk normalising misinformation and eroding trust in education policy.

Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s assertion that “Ujjain is where the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer meet” is not merely a gaffe; it is a startling display of ignorance of basic geography and science.

Why the claim is scientifically impossible — and embarrassingly so

The Equator sits at 0° latitude, circling Earth’s waist between the poles. The Tropic of Cancer lies at about 23.4° North, the farthest north the Sun ever shines straight down. These parallel latitude lines — east-west belts — never intersect; geometry forbids it, like claiming parallel train tracks cross at a station. The Equator is deep south of India, while the Tropic........

© National Herald