Since 2014, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks have been revised four times. The latest changes, however, have raised eyebrows, particularly among those tracking the “saffronization of education”– project of the right-wing eco-system. It was widely reported in the media that well-known social activist Yogendra Yadav and political commentator Suhas Palshikar had threatened the NCERT of legal action for publishing new textbooks under their names without consent. Writing to the NCERT, Yadav and Palshikar said, “Both of us do not want the NCERT to hide behind our names to pass on to students such textbooks of political science that we find politically biased, academically indefensible and pedagogically dysfunctional.”
The NCERT has recently made specific amendments to the political science, history and sociology textbooks. Pertinently, it removed all references to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in the Class XII political science textbook. The Babri Masjid is now referred to as a “three-domed structure.” The Ayodhya section has been reduced from four pages to two and focuses on the Supreme Court judgement that facilitated the construction of the Ram temple.The NCERT justified this omission by citing the apex court’s verdict, which awarded the disputed land to Hindu petitioners.
NCERT has also changed the section related to the Gujarat pogrom (2002) in which according to official estimates, more than 1000 Muslims were massacred post the Godhra train burning.
Further, the NCERT has revised Class 12 history textbooks to trace modern India’s roots to the Harappan civilization, ignoring the Aryan migration theory. This change assumes that the Harappans were indigenous people and overlooks the diverse influences from various cultures and communities over centuries that have shaped India’s rich history. The new narrative emphasizes an “unbroken continuity” of the Indus Valley Civilization, influenced by recent archaeological findings from Rakhigarhi, Haryana.
The sociology textbook now portrays the struggles of marginalized communities (Dalits, tribals, etc.) without acknowledging their historical poverty and the social stigma that they have encountered over the centuries. The objective appears to whitewash the harsh realities of social inequality in India and present a one-sided “feel good” version of history.
These changes in the curriculum, set to take effect in the 2024-25 academic year, have been communicated to the CBSE and will impact around four crore students. It is critical to scrutinize these changes being made to our school textbooks as they are bound to have a profound impact on our young minds who will chart the future course of our nation.
Defending the recent changes to the textbooks, NCERT Director, Dinesh Prasad Saklani justified the removal of references to the Babri Masjid demolition and the Gujarat riots.
In an interview to the PTI, Saklani dismissed the importance of teaching about riots, stating, “Why should we teach about riots in school textbooks? We want to create positive citizens not violent and depressed individuals.”
Saklani sees a similarity in the exclusion of references to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots with the Babri Masjid demolition. He argued that the omission of the anti-Sikh 1984 riots has not caused the same “hue and cry,” implying that concerns over the Babri Masjid’s erasure were exaggerated.
The NCERT Director argued that changes are made to remove “irrelevant” content and claimed that teaching about India’s ancient achievements, such as the iron pillar in Mehrauli cannot be branded as “saffronization.”
According to Saklani, the curriculum revisions are aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. This implies a broader governmental influence on educational content. It also raises questions about the objectivity and autonomy of the NCERT in crafting an unbiased curriculum.
To get a broad insight about the mindset of the people driving the NCERT revisions in the history and political science textbooks, one should read the chapter “How the Sangh Parivar Writes and Teaches History” by Tanika Sarkar (from the book – Majoritarian State: How Hindu Nationalism is Changing India by Angana P. Chatterji, Thomas Blom Hansen, and Christophe Jaffrelot). Beginning with the historical narratives presented by Savarkar and Golwalkar, Tanika Sarkar examines how Hindu nationalists interpret Indian history predominantly as Hindu history. She reveals how this interpretation has gradually spread through the RSS network of schools and institutions. Recently, this version of history has been integrated into official curricula and history textbooks, from national-level English language books to various state-level vernacular textbooks. Sarkar goes on to show that an older and lesser-known Hindu nationalist agenda for historical research has gained momentum nationwide since 2014. This agenda includes three primary objectives: a) to elevate the extensive body of Sanskritpuranas (myths, legends, stories) to the level of literal historical sources; b) to disprove the so-called ‘Aryan invasion hypothesis’ and assert that Brahmanical Hinduism is the original religion and civilization of the subcontinent; and c) to incorporate numerous local and tribal deities and legends into an overarching national and Brahmanical historical and sacred geography. All these efforts are supported and advanced by a large network of volunteers and RSS activists throughout India.
Right-wing ideological organizations (RSS) and their political outfits (BJP) have a tendency to manipulate history in school curricula. One of their goals is to promote a strong sense of national pride and identity. By repackaging history, they stress on stories that glorify a specific part of the nation’s past, highlight a few heroic figures, and downplay or omit other stories and figure that they deem as invaders and destroyers of their indigenous religion and culture.
In the context of India, history textbooks now reflect a Hindu-centric view of Indian history, emphasizing the achievements of ancient Hindu civilizations and downplaying or criticizing periods of Muslim rule. This works well with their broader ideological goal of promoting Hindutva, or Hindu nationalism. By controlling the narrative of history, the right-wing eco-system in India aims to ensure that Hindu values, traditions, and perspectives are presented as the norm. This helps in shaping the cultural and moral fabric of society according to their worldview.
The contributions of minority groups, progressive movements, or political rivals are downplayed thereby weakening their position and influence. School curricula play a crucial role in shaping young minds. By controlling the content taught to students, Hindutva ideology is instilled from a young age, ensuring that future generations are more likely to align with their beliefs and values.
History is complex and multifaceted. George Orwell said, “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” NCERT seems to have taken this axiom seriously.