Kanad's 'Parmanu' to ISRO missions, new NCERT textbook maps India's scientific legacy
Also read: NCERT Class 8 textbook revision features 'brutality' of Delhi Sultanate, 'intolerance' of Mughals with a disclaimer
"This integration of traditional knowledge with modern scientific education is intended to develop curiosity, environmental awareness, ethical values and critical thinking," the foreword of the book notes.
"Long before modern vaccines, India had a traditional method called variolation to protect against smallpox," reads a section titled 'Our Scientific Heritage' in the chapter 'Health: The Ultimate Treasure'.
Variolation is a practice that predates Edward Jenner's work on vaccination.
The chapter also features an 'Ever Heard Of?' section spotlighting India's recent contributions to global health.
"Indian vaccine companies played a key role during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to support the global health efforts," it says, linking ancient practices to modern advancements.
Also read: NCERT book links modern science to early Indian discoveries
In the chapter 'Particulate Nature of Matter', the textbook mentions that "Acharya Kanad, an ancient Indian philosopher, first spoke about the idea of a Parmanu (atom)".
Another chapter titled 'Nature of Matter: Elements, Compounds and Mixtures" mentions that ancient Indian texts have mentioned the use of alloys for medicinal purposes.
The book also includes different missions of ISRO such as Chandrayaan 1, 2 and 3 to study the Moon, Aditya L1 to study the Sun and Mangalyaan to study Mars.
In the chapter 'Light: Mirrors and Lenses', the textbook says over 800 years ago, during Bhaskara II's time, Indian astronomers used shallow water bowls and angled tubes to observe and "measure the positions of stars and planets in the sky" via reflections, suggesting a practical understanding of reflection laws despite their absence in literature.
Also read: Vedic Mathematics to be integrated into NCERT textbooks
Class 8 students will now read about the valour of Major Somnath Sharma, the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, and the historic Battle of Budgam in their updated NCERT English textbook.
In 'Santoor', the Class 5 English textbook, the 'Let us explore' section poses a query to students. Asking them which vocation they would pursue, it has numerous illustrations including that of a woman pilot and photographer juxtaposed along a male chef and florist. A chapter 'Panchayat' has a woman panchayat head.
The 33 per cent reservation in the local bodies implemented by a few state governments has ensured a strong presence of women in this decision-making body in villages.
The book also teaches kids the greatness of water conservation and makes learning fun with lessons on 'Gilli Danda' and hockey too.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat to create genome database of tribal communities: what's the project, why
In a first in the country, the Gujarat government has announced a genome sequencing project to create a database from 29 tribal groups across 17 districts of the state. The exercise, a local extension of the recently completed Genome India Project (GIP), will be carried out over the next five years. The entire eastern belt of Gujarat, which shares borders with Rajasthan in the north, Madhya Pradesh in the east and Maharashtra in the south, has districts with a predominantly tribal population. The Genome India Project — its report was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January — saw 10,000 genomes from 83 diverse groups processed and stored at the Indian Biological Data Centre. It had around 1,800 samples from Gujarat, which included around 100 samples from tribal communities, not enough to represent them. Thus, the Gujarat Tribal Genome Sequencing Project aims to gain critical insight into the genetic makeup of these tribal groups, which, at 15% of the state's population, consist of approximately 1 crore people. This initiative is also expected to enrich the Central Genome India dataset. The project, approved in the Gujarat budget of 2025-26, will be helmed by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC). Implications of the project Mona Khandhar, Principal Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, said the understanding of genome characteristics will help the government in making more focused programmes. Subject enrollment will take place after a formal launch of the project by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, so that awareness begins before field researchers go to the villages. 'Our field teams will seek help from the local administration, communities, as well as the political leadership. This is why it was important to explain the project to MPs and MLAs. We are also taking help from researchers at Birsa Munda Bhavan and the Tribal Development Department,' said a scientist involved in the project. The project's six-point agenda includes capturing the unique diversity of India's population, improving diagnosis of rare diseases, supporting development of novel drugs, developing precision medical treatments tailored to genetic profiles, building a genomic reference panel for the tribal population, and boosting public health research infrastructure. Many among the tribal communities from Gujarat have excelled in sports. Director of GBRC Prof Chaitanya Joshi said, 'These tribes can be very good in, say, archery, or skills other communities may not have. So what are the genes associated with that? With this project, skill sets associated with genes can be identified.' Health aspect Health problems like malnutrition, anaemia, low BMI, prevalence of genetic diseases like sickle cell anaemia, G6PD deficiency are common in the tribal communities in Gujarat. Scientist and Joint Director at the GBRC Amrutlal K Patel said, 'So far, the medicines developed have been studied on the western population and we haven't explored the Indian genome. Diseases are more prevalent in specific communities and ethnicity also due to the Indian tradition of endogamy, as a result of which genome variations are conserved within castes.' Patel gave an example of how deaths due to organ failure were reported in certain tribes when they crossed 30 years of age. Two years ago, the GBRC researched some patients and their first degree family members, and found this was due to the mutation of the transthyretin (TTR) gene, resulting in the aggregation of protein that reached the organs, causing failure. Some mutations increase the chances of a disease, for instance BRCA1 and 2 genes in breast cancer. These are generally detected after 50 years of age and after tests. 'We can identify these in advance and design a policy that can prevent the prevalence of breast cancer. All these measures decline the disease burden on the community and thus the state government,' a scientist said. The process As part of this project, scientists will collect samples from 4,158 individuals from various tribal communities, including data on their physical measurements and blood biochemistry, and create a 2,000-strong diverse database of tribal genomes. 'We will genotype the samples and remove those that are genetically close to each other. Out of 4,158, we will do SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) type genotyping and take those with the most diverse genetics. The precaution is also because there might be bias during sample collection, which can then be eliminated at the analysis stage,' an official said. Of these, 378 will be trio samples. This means that samples will be taken of three members of the same family, including an individual as well as his/her biological parents. The other 3,780 will be individual samples. Apart from blood samples, stool samples will also be collected for microbial information. The role of the tribal department, according to Shahmeena Husain, principal secretary, will be to facilitate the technical team. 'We will facilitate the technical team as it will be a task to convince people to give samples.' Apart from name, education, medical history, information collected would include genealogical tree and addictions, physical characteristics like height, weight, BP, blood sugar, and waist measurement. The analysis After the samples have been collected, they will be stored at GBRC, where haematological and biochemical analysis of blood samples will take place. 'First, when the samples come from the field to the lab in Gandhinagar, they will be given Unique IDs. So those who receive the samples will neither know the gender nor the tribe of the person whose sample they are running through the process. This first round of encryption will be stored in our servers. Then, when it goes into the final process of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), the data will be encrypted for the second time,' said a researcher close to the project. Joshi said Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, which have 22% and 21% tribal population respectively, have shown interest in the project. 'Modalities on whether they want to be a part of it or contribute to it will be decided by the state, but if they approach us, we are ready.'
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Being still is a challenge: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla reflects on life aboard the ISS
Shubhanshu Shukla , India's second astronaut in space and the first to reach the International Space Station , recently posted a video that captured something unexpectedly powerful: the struggle to be still. In the footage, shared on Instagram, Shukla is seen floating cross-legged inside the ISS, gently nudging himself into position in the calm silence of microgravity. He wasn't doing an experiment. He was trying to stay completely still. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Technology Digital Marketing Public Policy MBA others Management Data Analytics Finance healthcare Cybersecurity Operations Management MCA Data Science Leadership Design Thinking Project Management Product Management CXO Artificial Intelligence Healthcare Others Degree Data Science PGDM Skills you'll gain: Duration: 12 Weeks MIT xPRO CERT-MIT XPRO Building AI Prod India Starts on undefined Get Details "This video was a few days into the mission when I finally had better control over my movements. What I wanted to do was to be just still - but clearly failed," Shukla wrote. Back to Earth after 18 days in orbit On 15 July, Shukla and his Axiom-4 crew returned to Earth after spending 18 days in space. The SpaceX Dragon capsule , named Grace, splashed down safely off the coast of San Diego at 2:31 am Pacific Time (3:01 pm IST). Live Events The mission marked a significant milestone for India. Shukla became the first Indian to reach the ISS and only the second Indian in space, nearly 40 years after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight in 1984. Shukla was designated pilot on the Axiom-4 mission . His role wasn't just ceremonial. Along with three international astronauts, he participated in over 60 scientific experiments from 31 countries. Of those, seven were led by ISRO. Seven experiments, one Indian astronaut ISRO confirmed that Shukla completed all assigned tasks during the mission. These included studies on muscle regeneration, algae cultivation, crop resilience, tardigrades, seed germination, the effects of radiation, and human physiology. The Indian space agency called his work a 'significant milestone' in the mission's success. Before returning home, the Axiom-4 team underwent health checks on the recovery vessel and were later flown back to land by helicopter. For the Lucknow-born Group Captain, the mission was over. But his reflection on the experience is still resonating with many. What stillness means in Space and on Earth In his Instagram caption, Shukla shared more than just a technical insight. He spoke plainly about how difficult it is to remain still in space — and how that echoes life on Earth. "From the time we reached the ISS, we were quite busy chasing the timeline and completing our tasks and experiments. It is a bit challenging initially, as you are learning to move in microgravity and also getting to know the station." "Any small disturbance can move your body in space, and it takes skill to be completely still. Kind of like our minds in this fast-moving world. Take some time to be still today. It is important to sometimes slow down to be fast. Apparently, being still is a challenge - with or without gravity," he wrote. India's growing space footprint The Axiom-4 mission was run by private company Axiom Space, based in the United States, but it highlighted India's increasing contribution to global space missions. While ISRO remains focused on national programmes, Indian participation in commercial missions like Ax-4 suggests new directions ahead. Shukla's journey may inspire a generation of scientists and pilots to look beyond the Earth — and to understand that even in space, introspection has value. What stands out isn't just the science. It's the human moment. A pilot, a soldier, floating 400 kilometres above the Earth, learning the difficulty of stillness — and urging the rest of us to try.
India Today
4 hours ago
- India Today
India becomes first nation to digitise traditional medicine with AI-powered library
The launch of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) has made India the first country in the world to digitise (making all information available in the digital mode) its traditional medicine systems using Artificial Intelligence. This move is a turning point for how ancient health knowledge like Ayurveda and Unani can be protected, studied, and used in today's by WHO and supported by the Indian government, the effort shows how modern tools can bring new life to centuries-old digitisation of TKDL is a methodical effort to ensure that knowledge systems like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homoeopathy are protected from misuse, studied with precision and applied. The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a recent report, acknowledged the move as an important development in the global push to integrate traditional and modern KNOWLEDGE, PREVENTING EXPLOITATIONThe roots of India's traditional medicine lie in oral traditions, palm-leaf manuscripts, and classical texts that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of the absence of documentation, there have been many instances in the past where foreign companies patented herbal formulations and treatments that had long existed in Indian TKDL was conceived as a solution to that translating and digitising these traditional formulations in multiple languages and coding them into formats understandable to patent offices, the library provides evidence that such knowledge already exists in the public sets the new version of TKDL apart is its use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The database now uses machine learning tools to organise complex information, track patterns, and find possible links between traditional remedies and modern DIRECTIONS WITH AI AND AYURVEDAAmong the newer developments highlighted by WHO is Ayurgenomics, an emerging field that merges genetic science with Ayurvedic principles of body types, or in India are working to personalise treatment methods by combining DNA data with ancient health models are also being used in pulse reading and tongue analysis, both long-standing diagnostic methods in Ayurveda, to assist in making clinical Government of India, through the Ministry of Ayush, has said the aim is not only to preserve heritage but to push forward into areas where tradition and technology can Minister Prataprao Jadhav, speaking on the occasion, noted that this is part of a larger vision to make Indian systems more accessible while contributing to global health Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often spoken of using 'AI for all,' and healthcare is one of the key areas where that promise is beginning to take TKDL offers a framework that other countries with strong traditional medicine cultures, such as China, South Korea, or Indonesia, may find useful.- Ends
