The book 'Basic Business Communication' has been authored by C B Gupta, a former head of the commerce department of a Delhi University-affiliated college.
The textbook is widely prescribed by professors to the students of B Com (Honours) in most DU-affiliated colleges.
The book, which has been in print since over a decade, said, "Email messages should be like skirts--short enough to be interesting and long enough to cover all the vital points."
A student, who did not want to be named, said, "Some students from socially and economically weaker sections have a tendency to memorise everything written in the textbooks, without realising that such analogies may legitimise casual sexism in our society."
Now, a septuagenarian, professor C B Gupta expressed regret for hurting people's sentiments and said that the analogy was taken from an article by a foreign author.
"I have already deleted the statement from my book. I will also advise the publisher to remove the content before publishing a latest edition," Gupta told PTI.
To a question on why such an analogy was made, he said, it was a mistake on his part and he had taken the analogy from an article of a foreign author.
Recently, a class XII physical education textbook defining 36-24-36 as the "best body shape for females" had created an outrage on social media with critics demanding that it be withdrawn.
In another instance, a book which forms part of the Delhi University's history curriculum had called Bhagat Singh a "revolutionary terrorist", prompting the freedom fighter's family to raise the issue with university authorities as well as the HRD ministry.
"A textbook should be neutral and provide balanced viewpoints and leave the rest to the student to form an opinion. Such controversies will create more awareness among textbook authors," said a DU professor who wished to remain anonymous.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
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