NCERT Recommends Replacing 'India' With 'Bharat' In School Textbooks

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has recommended replacing the name 'India' with 'Bharat' in textbooks and introducing 'classical History' instead of ancient History in the curriculum, said committee's chairperson CI Issac on Wednesday.

According to committee chairperson C I Isaac, the panel has suggested replacing the name ''India'' with ''Bharat'' in the textbooks, introducing ''classical history'' instead of ''ancient history'' in the curriculum and including the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the syllabus for all subjects.NCERT officials, however, said no decision has been taken yet on the panel's recommendations.

Referring to Article 1(1) of the Constitution, which states, "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States," Issac emphasized the historical significance of the name 'Bharat.' He pointed out that the term 'India' became common usage only after the East India Company's establishment and the Battle of Plassey in 1757, whereas 'Bharat' has ancient roots, mentioned in texts like the 7,000-year-old Vishnu Purana. Hence, the committee's unanimous recommendation is to employ 'Bharat' in textbooks for students across all classes.

The transition to using 'Bharat' officially began with G20 invitations sent out by the government, which bore the title 'President of Bharat' instead of 'President of India.' This nomenclature was subsequently adopted on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nameplate during the Summit in New Delhi.

Additionally, the committee suggested the inclusion of 'classical history' alongside medieval and modern history in the school curriculum. Issac highlighted the need to rectify historical misrepresentations caused by British categorizations of Indian history as ancient, medieval, and modern. He cited the omission of significant achievements, such as Aryabhatta's work on the solar system model, which paint India in a more accurate light.

Furthermore, the committee advocated for the emphasis of "Hindu victories" in textbooks, rectifying the existing focus on failures while neglecting successes against Mughals and Sultans. Issac, also a member of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), expressed this view.

The committee's recommendations extend beyond history, as they also proposed the integration of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into the curriculum across all subjects. These revisions align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and to facilitate this, the NCERT has established the National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC) with a 19-member team charged with finalizing curriculum, textbooks, and learning materials for these classes.