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The Print
9 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
‘Honest history, not ideology'—NCERT social science panel chief on changes in Class 8 textbook
Critics have described these changes as an 'ideological move' that selectively glorifies or vilifies historical figures. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has recently released the Class 8 social science textbook, in line with the National Curriculum Framework and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The book, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, highlights instances of 'brutality' and 'religious intolerance' during the rule of the Mughals and the Delhi Sultanate. The Marathas, in contrast, are portrayed in a more positive light. New Delhi: India has tended to present a 'very gentle' and 'sanitised' version of history, avoiding unpleasant aspects, but 'we took a different and more honest approach by introducing students to the 'darker chapters' of history as well', Michel Danino, the head of the NCERT committee behind the drafting of the new social science textbooks, told ThePrint in an interview. In an interview with ThePrint Tuesday, Michel Danino, however, denied any ideological interference in the drafting of the new textbooks. 'No political leader came to us saying, 'You have to include this, or mention this particular figure or fact'. No ideological group of any kind contacted us to say, 'You must include this chapter', and so on,' he said. Danino said that so far in India, there had been a tendency to make a 'very gentle' and 'slightly sanitised' version of history, 'where we avoid all unpleasantness, thinking perhaps that this is going to, you know, traumatise the student and so on'. 'We took another approach. First of all, we made an honest one—disclaimer, if you wish to call it that, to the student—that there are darker chapters in history. And we were not, some commentators in the media said that we spoke of the dark ages in the medieval period; we never use this phrase,' he said. In a 'Note on some darker periods in history', the disclaimer reads: 'No one should be held responsible today for events of the past.' Michel Danino explained that the textbook addressed the brutality of some historical events, particularly warfare. He noted that while warfare always existed, there are different types—some with limited impact on civilians, and others that involve significant cruelty and suffering. The committee intended to highlight the distinction because it represented a valid historical approach, he said. Danino also said the textbook did not focus solely on violence or negativity. 'Contrary to media reports, we did not simply state that Akbar was brutal in his youth. That perspective comes from his admission in his memoir, Akbarnama, where he recounts his military campaigns. You can sense, he is not entirely proud of his past, but he is honest about it.' 'There is nothing wrong with mentioning this—it helps us understand the different sides of a historical figure. We aimed to reflect the complexity of such personalities and to avoid extreme characterisations, whether overly positive or negative.' Also Read: NEP turns 5: Gains, gaps & ground realities, a report card on India's biggest education reform 'M arathas dismantled the Mughal Empir e' The revised Class 8 textbook portrays the Marathas, who ruled over a 17th-century kingdom in western India, as rulers who established 'sovereignty', describing their founder, Chhatrapati Shivaji, as a 'strategist' and 'true visionary'. It compares Shivaji's defeat of the Mughal nobleman Shaista Khan to a 'modern-day surgical strike', highlighting that during his retaliatory actions, Shivaji was always 'careful' not to attack religious places. Denying 'selective glorification' allegations, Michel Danino said: 'We selected the Marathas because they played an important—and largely uncontested—role in dismantling the Mughal Empire.' 'Remember, Aurangzeb spent the last 25 years of his life in the Deccan and was unable to return to Delhi. While he was also fighting other regional powers, the Marathas quickly became his main concern. After his death, the Maratha Empire controlled a large part of India, even if only for a relatively short period,' he said. From a political history perspective, Danino added, the Marathas deserved the attention of the Indians. 'Whether we have glorified them excessively, I am not sure. For example, we insisted on including the Maratha raids in Bengal, which were very brutal and traumatised the local population. We could have left that out if we were only glorifying them, but we did not,' he said. Danino added: 'I believe some members of our team also wanted to counterbalance the neglect the Marathas have received in earlier textbooks, where they find brief mention only. The Marathas deserve much more study than we were able to provide—for instance, their administrative system was quite innovative in many ways.' Critics have pointed out that the textbook does not get into as many details on the violence of the Marathas—the raids in the Rajput kingdoms or violent annexations of Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha, devastating local populations and forcing people to pay tributes called 'chauth', or the destruction of temples in Karnataka—as it does for the Mughals. Michel Danino, however, emphasised it was important to avoid simply saying something had been removed from or added to the textbook. The committee drafted the new textbooks with a different approach, covering a much broader chronological scope, he said, adding that the designing of textbooks under the National Curriculum Framework was such that the books were not supposed to be text-heavy, and therefore, the panel had to come up with 'compressed timelines'. 'We made certain choices. There are things which are left out, and we have not denied that.' 'We have been under criticism for leaving certain things out, but given the context—which I have explained—it was unavoidable. We have tried to be honest with history. There are many perspectives, including nationalist history, Marxist history, and others. Good historians understand that no interpretation is ever final,' Danino said. 'I believe we can strive for what I call honest history—based on the data available—where we aim to do justice to the past, even though we inevitably have to make certain choices,' he added. Wrong image of colonial times? According to Michel Danino, the committee widely felt that many young Indians continue to hold a somewhat positive image of the colonial period, without fully understanding the extent of the damage it caused. The revised book is more critical of the history of the Colonial Era than the earlier books. 'Famines, at least, are now slowly becoming more widely known,' Danino said. 'Though they were almost completely absent from earlier textbooks, these were, after all, engineered famines, or at the very least, made much worse by the ruthless taxation policies of the British, and the deliberate lack of relief provided to the victims.' Moreover, Michel Danino emphasised that confronting such historical truths was essential for national self-respect. 'We felt that any self-respecting nation owes recognition and respect to the victims of past atrocities—and these were atrocities.' He further highlighted the massive economic exploitation India endured under colonial rule. 'The plunder of India's wealth is not controversial—it is something the British themselves documented. The data shows the vast amount of wealth extracted from India through multiple channels: outright taxation, the creation of the so-called 'India debt', and forced contributions to colonial projects like railway and telegraph construction, the Indo-Afghan wars, and even the deployment of troops to suppress the Great Rebellion of 1857,' Danino said. According to Michel Danino, historical records confirm that India was still a prosperous and economically vibrant land before British expansion. 'There was strong agricultural production, vibrant trade, and flourishing exports—from cotton and spices to finished goods. All of this—destroyed in a remarkably short time. Within just a century, India became a deeply impoverished country,' he said. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Two realities of NEP: Sensory classrooms & hi-tech labs, to kids sitting on floor & no teachers
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
What NCERT history textbooks get right about Marathas
Written by Deepak Solanki The recent debate surrounding the NCERT revision of the Class VIII textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond is suggestive of what can be called 'decentralisation of history'. It is the consequence of the rise of regional histories and scholars in academia. In the recent past, most of the textbooks jumped from the Mughal Empire to the British Raj. The long transition in the 18th century that led to the capture of political power by the British was mostly omitted. This subsequently led to the erasure of the story of resistance put up by various native/regional powers against the British. There were three Anglo-Maratha wars, four Anglo-Mysore wars, and two Anglo-Sikh wars, indicating that these powers vehemently resisted British power. The revised NCERT intends to give a more holistic picture of medieval and early modern history, giving space to marginalised regional kingdoms such as the Ahoms and Gonds. Until recently, Medieval India was Mughal India. These new changes and debates open new dimensions of looking at historical events. Here, I focus on the changes in the NCERT syllabus vis-à-vis the Marathas. Why do they matter? Were they the sturdiest contenders who fought the British? Did the British in effect take India from the Marathas more than from the Mughals or any other power? Going through the new NCERT chapter on the Marathas, we see a resemblance with the Tamil Nadu History textbook of Class XI. There is a separate chapter on Marathas, and importance has been given to a ruler not heard enough of: Serfoji II. Marathas established their rule in Thanjavur after defeating the Nayak rulers of Madurai. This branch of the Marathas is popularly known as Tanjore Marathas. Serfoji II became the ruler of this kingdom in 1787. He was taught by a German missionary and mastered several European languages. He established a printing press. Serfoji's most striking initiative was the founding and management of free elementary and secondary schools for orphans and the poor in Thanjavur city. He also established Dhanvantari Mahal, a research institution that produced herbal medicine for both humans and animals. Valiant women leaders like Tarabai and Ahilyabai Holkar have also been mentioned in the new NCERT book. This is no coincidence but corroboration of the importance of Maratha history in Indian historical discourse. The second Anglo-Maratha War (1803-1805) is specifically important as it finally paved the way for the British to enter the coastal region. It was even more important because the British were successful in taking over Delhi, the symbolic seat of imperial power. Randolf Cooper, in his book The Anglo-Maratha Campaigns and the Contest for India, explicitly mentions that 'the Marathas were the last indigenous South Asian power that was militarily capable of not only halting but also rolling back the consolidation process that ultimately produced the British Raj.' These wars further suggested that the organisational capabilities of the Maratha armies were not inferior to the British. Shivaji's army had a cosmopolitan character. He hired the Portuguese into his navy. Muslims were part of his naval armada. The Maratha armies in the 18th century were quite secular and included Hindus from every caste. The emergence of Maratha sardars such as Scindias and Holkars in north Indian politics in the 18th century alludes to their growing power. The history of the Marathas matters not just because of their victories, but also the socio-cultural setup they put in place. The Marathas were the most socially inclusive power, where a slipper bearer (Shinde) could go on to become a ruler. Amar Farooqui, in his work Sindias and the Raj, explains that Mahadji Shinde initiated a major overhaul of his military in the last quarter of the 18th century because of the possibility of an all-out war with the British. The Mughals had put up a cloak of royalty and made desperate efforts to keep up appearances. The Mughal emperor faced defeat in the battle of Buxar. He lived in Allahabad for 12 years and only returned to Delhi on the promise of Maratha assistance (Mahadji Scindia and Tukoji Holkar). However, soon Ghulam Kadir, the Rohilla chief, wreaked vengeance on the Mughal emperor. Timely Maratha intervention saved the emperor and Delhi from more atrocities. The Mughal emperor could rule under the protection of the Marathas. William Dalrymple, in his book The Anarchy: The relentless rise of the East India Company, rightly asserts that the Battle of Delhi (also known as the Battle of Patparganj) in 1803, a part of the Anglo-Maratha campaign, decided the future fate of India. The last power that could have ousted the Company had been humbled. One of the company officials, Thomas Munro, realised it with clarity and exclaimed, 'We are now complete masters of India'. The writer teaches History at Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi
India Today
24-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Over 4.7 lakh pirated NCERT books seized across India since 2024: Government
In a big move against textbook piracy, the Education Ministry has said that over 4.7 lakh fake NCERT books have been seized across India since 2024. The information was shared by Minister of State for Education, Jayant Chaudhary, in a written reply to the Rajya stated that cases of NCERT textbook piracy have emerged from various parts of India, driven largely by the commercial interests of unauthorised 2024 and 2025, nearly 4.71 lakh pirated NCERT books have been confiscated in operations conducted across multiple states,' he noted. He reiterated NCERT's core mission to ensure access to high-quality, affordable educational resources for every student in the country. 'NCERT textbooks are produced on a no-profit, no-loss basis to reach even the last child,' he the past year alone, NCERT has carried out raids on 29 locations suspected of being linked to the illegal production and distribution of pirated books. The raids, which also targeted manufacturers of fake NCERT watermarked paper, led to the seizure of stocks and printing equipment worth over Rs20 counter the deep-rooted piracy network, the council has implemented several initiatives. These include a 20% price reduction in textbook costs, timely printing schedules, enhanced paper and print quality using modern printing technologies, and expanded availability through e-commerce is also exploring technological solutions to fight collaboration with IIT Kanpur, a pilot anti-piracy mechanism was tested on one million copies of a Class 6 textbook. The solution is patented and aimed at tracking and preventing the circulation of fake the newly released NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook, titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), has sparked discussion about omitting key historical figures like Tipu Sultan and Haidar Ali, as well as the Anglo-Mysore Wars, in its chapter on India's colonial textbook covers the era from Vasco da Gama's arrival in the late 1400s up to the 1800s, including the Battle of Plassey and the 1857 uprising, portraying how one of the world's wealthiest lands was systematically impoverished during British rule. The second part of the textbook is expected to be released later this year.(With PTI inputs)- Ends
NDTV
21-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
NCERT Issues Clarification On The New Class 8 Social Science Textbook
NCERT Issues Clarification On Social Science Textbook 2025: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a clarification regarding its new Class 8 social science textbook, "Exploring Society: India and Beyond". This comes in response to concerns over the exclusion of various regional resistance movements from the new edition. NCERT mentioned that the new Class 8 social science textbook is only the first volume. The second volume containing the various regional resistance movement is in development stages and is expected to be released in between September-October 2025. This upcoming volume will include chapters on movements such as the Paika Rebellion or Khurda Uprising of Odisha, the Kuka Movement of the Sikhs in Punjab, and other similar regional uprisings. NCERT on X (formerly known as twitter) issued clarification on the new Class 8 Social Science textbook. 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 Clarification regarding Grade 8 Social Science textbook '𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝' This is in reference to a few news items in which it has been mentioned that the recently released Grade 8 Social Science… — NCERT (@ncert) July 21, 2025 In recent days, NCERT has introduced several new textbooks for Classes 5 and 8, including: Malhar - Hindi Textbook (Class 8) Veena - Hindi Textbook (Class 5) Santoor - English Textbook (Class 5) Kriti - Art Textbook (Class 8) Poorvi - English Textbook (Class 8) And more These books are available for purchase on NCERT's official website.
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Business Standard
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Class 8 textbook has not dropped regional resistance topics, says NCERT
The clarification came following news reports claiming that the class 8 Social Science textbook, "Exploring Society: India and Beyond", has removed references to the regional resistance movements Press Trust of India New Delhi The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday clarified that references to the regional resistance movements have not been dropped from the new class 8 Social Science textbook. The clarification came following news reports claiming that the class 8 Social Science textbook, "Exploring Society: India and Beyond", has removed references to the regional resistance movements. "It is clarified that the said textbook happens to be the first volume of this textbook. The second volume is in final stages of development and is expected to be released in Sept-Oct 2025," the NCERT said in a statement. "Topics relating to the regional resistance movements and armed uprisings such as the Paika rebellion and Khurda uprising of Odisha, the Kuka movement or rebellion of the Sikhs in Punjab, etc., will be handled in this volume," it said.
