NCERT textbook shows Indian rhino with 2 horns, sparks row
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Guwahati: The new NCERT mathematics textbook for Class 4 has sparked a controversy due to an incorrect illustration showing two horns on an Indian rhinoceros. The issue has drawn attention from academics, wildlife specialists and the public in Assam, prompting the state's education department to address the matter.
Talking to the media, education minister Ranoj Pegu said, "I have not seen the NCERT book, but I have directed SCERT to check the textbook, and if such a picture has been published, they will inform the NCERT to correct it. We know that there are different types of rhinos. Of them, the Indian rhino has one horn. Rhinos with two horns can be found in Africa."
Assam's state animal is the
one-horned rhinoceros
, locally known as 'gor'.
In Chapter 4, titled 'Thousands Around Us', the text discusses the Indian rhinoceros. Under 'Did you know?', it states: "The Indian rhinoceros is found in the foothills of the Himalayas in Northeast India. Floods and the medicinal value of their horns have led to a reduction in their population. In the early 1900s, their population was driven to near extinction with as few as 200 rhinoceroses. But with recent conservation measures, there are now around 4,000 (four thousand) rhinoceroses." The illustration contains significant inaccuracies about the species.
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Aaranyak's secretary general and CEO, Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, a distinguished rhino conservation biologist, expressed concern about the inaccurate information. He highlighted that the term 'greater one-horned' explicitly indicates a single-horned species, and the inclusion of an African rhino image raises questions about NCERT's quality control. He noted that these rhinos inhabit the Brahmaputra Valley's floodplain ecosystem alongside the Eastern Himalayan foothills.
Talukdar cautioned that referencing medicinal properties of rhino horns could encourage poaching. As a recognised rhino expert, he emphasised that Assam's floods are natural and essential for the ecosystem. He pointed out that despite regular flooding since the 1950s, rhino populations have increased significantly, citing Kaziranga's growth from 366 rhinos in 1966 to approximately 2,613 currently. He expressed concern about NCERT's choice of authors for educational materials.
The error attracted criticism on social media platforms. A user named Udoy Bhaskar Borah posted on X: "In the recently published NCERT Class 4 Math textbook, an Indian rhino is shown to have two horns (Pg 45). Such mistakes are not acceptable in an NCERT textbook."
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