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NCERT textbook controversies | HearLore
NCERT textbook controversies
In 1966, a single history book titled Ancient India by Romila Thapar became the flashpoint for a decades-long battle over who gets to write the story of India. The book, published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training, was designed to be secular and rational, yet it triggered immediate outrage from Hindu and Sikh religious organizations. The controversy centered on the book's mention of beef-eating in ancient times, which Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj claimed violated the religious sentiments of the Hindu nationality. This was not merely an academic disagreement; it was the first time a government-appointed textbook faced a direct challenge from religious groups demanding that history glorify their specific leaders and traditions. The government had established NCERT in 1961 to unify the nation through education, but within five years, the very act of writing history was being weaponized to define national identity. The Minister of Education, M. C. Chagla, had insisted that textbooks should not recite myths, but the political reality was that myths were becoming the new standard for political acceptance. The committee on history education, which included prominent scholars like Tara Chand and Nilakanta Sastri, had commissioned these books to foster emotional integration, yet the result was a polarized landscape where history was no longer a tool for unity but a battleground for competing narratives. The rejection of the demand to state that Aryans were indigenous to India in 1969 set a precedent that would echo through every subsequent administration, proving that the control of the past was the key to controlling the future.
The Saffronization Campaign
The year 2002 marked a turning point when the Bharatiya Janata Party government attempted to overhaul the NCERT textbooks through a new National Curriculum Framework, a move critics labeled as saffronization. The government claimed its goal was to free institutions from the alleged dynastic control of the Indian National Congress and Communists, but the execution involved deleting references to beef-eating, cattle sacrifice, and the critical evaluation of Puranic traditions. In Ancient Indian History, the NCERT removed the explanation of Brahminical hostility towards Ashoka and the entire early life of Vardhamana Mahavira, while in Medieval Indian History, they excised the dishonourable discussion on the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur. The new textbooks, authored by Professor Makkhan Lal and Professor Hari Om, gave more importance to Hindu culture and beliefs while giving very little space to Buddhism, Jainism, and the actions of Muslim rulers. The government argued these deletions were to respect the sentiments of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Dalits, and Muslims, yet no official explanations were provided, leading many to believe it was a political decision to avoid mentioning uncomfortable facts about India's past. The controversy was compounded by plagiarism accusations in 2003, when the textbook Contemporary World History was found to contain sections lifted from an American book by Edward MacNall Burns and others, raising questions about the integrity of the entire revision process. The removal of the early life of Mahavira and the deletion of references to caste exploitation signaled a shift from secular history to a narrative that prioritized Hindu cultural norms, setting the stage for future conflicts over the very definition of Indian identity.
What happened to the Ancient India textbook by Romila Thapar in 1966?
The 1966 publication of Ancient India by Romila Thapar triggered immediate outrage from Hindu and Sikh religious organizations over its mention of beef-eating in ancient times. The Hindu Mahasabha and Arya Samaj claimed the content violated the religious sentiments of the Hindu nationality, marking the first time a government-appointed textbook faced a direct challenge from religious groups. This event established a precedent where history writing became weaponized to define national identity rather than foster unity.
Why did the Bharatiya Janata Party government overhaul NCERT textbooks in 2002?
The Bharatiya Janata Party government attempted to overhaul NCERT textbooks in 2002 through a new National Curriculum Framework to free institutions from alleged dynastic control by the Indian National Congress and Communists. The execution involved deleting references to beef-eating, cattle sacrifice, and the critical evaluation of Puranic traditions while removing the early life of Vardhamana Mahavira. Critics labeled this move as saffronization and noted that the new textbooks authored by Professor Makkhan Lal and Professor Hari Om gave more importance to Hindu culture and beliefs.
What caused the resignation of NCERT chief advisors in April 2012?
A cartoon in a Grade 11 textbook titled Cartoons impression of the snails pace with which the Constitution was made ignited a firestorm that led to the resignation of NCERT chief advisors Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar. The Republican Party of India, led by Ramdas Athavale, demanded the book be banned and the Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal, resign, claiming the image insulted the architect of India's Constitution. The NCERT was forced to remove the cartoon and replace it with a photograph of Dr. Rajendra Prasad greeting Ambedkar.
How many changes were made to NCERT textbooks between 2017 and 2021?
Between 2017 and 2021, the NCERT conducted a review exercise that resulted in 1,334 changes across 182 textbooks. The process removed entire chapters on the Mughal Empire, the Delhi Sultanate, and the Cold War Era while deleting references to the Emergency, the Naxalite movement, and the role of minorities. The Class 12 Political Science textbook Politics in India Since Independence underwent controversial changes where the heading of a passage describing the 2002 Gujarat riots was changed from Anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat to Gujarat riots.
What claim did the NCERT make about the Harappan civilization in April 2024?
In April 2024, the NCERT released revised textbooks claiming that the Harappans were an indigenous people with an unbroken continuity for 5,000 years. The revised chapter Bricks, Beads and Bones stated that Harappan genetic roots go back to 10,000 BCE, a claim that critics argued was politically motivated and aimed at downplaying the role of migration in shaping modern India. The textbook also removed the name Babri Masjid and replaced it with a three-domed structure while shortening the section on Ayodhya from four pages to two.
What controversy surrounded the Chandrayaan Utsav modules released in August 2023?
The August 2023 release of ten sets of reading modules titled Chandrayaan Utsav drew scientific criticism for mixing science with mythology. The third module suggested that ancient Indian texts like the Vaimanika Shastra contained knowledge of flying vehicles, a claim that scientists from the Indian Institute of Science refuted as not aerodynamically sound. Former ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair called the claims scientific fiction, and the module was initially withdrawn before being reintroduced after the government defended its content.
In April 2012, a single cartoon in a Grade 11 textbook ignited a firestorm that led to the resignation of NCERT chief advisors Yogendra Yadav and Suhas Palshikar. The cartoon, titled Cartoons impression of the snails pace with which the Constitution was made, depicted B. R. Ambedkar sitting on a snail labeled Constitution, cracking a whip, with Pandit Nehru also shown with a whip behind him. The Republican Party of India, led by Ramdas Athavale, demanded the book be banned and the Minister for Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal, resign, claiming the image insulted the architect of India's Constitution. The incident created an uproar in both Houses of Parliament, and the NCERT was forced to remove the cartoon, replacing it with a photograph of Dr. Rajendra Prasad greeting Ambedkar. This was not an isolated incident; a cartoon by R. K. Laxman on the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 was also removed after demands from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who argued it defamed Dravidian movement leaders. The removal of six cartoons from four Political Science textbooks, including those on booth capturing and Indira Gandhi, demonstrated how political pressure could dictate the visual narrative of history. The controversy also extended to a medieval painting of Gabriel the Archangel, which the Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Mosque, Mohd. Mukarram Ahmed, claimed was comical and against Sharia, though scholars like Najaf Haider defended the source material as a 13th-century text. The episode highlighted the fragility of academic freedom, as advisors resigned in protest, stating that the government had no option but to agree with the protesting MPs, effectively undoing a symbol of progressive outlook in education.
The Great Rationalization
Between 2017 and 2021, the NCERT conducted a review exercise that resulted in 1,334 changes across 182 textbooks, a process that critics argued was a systematic erasure of inconvenient history. The Class 12 Political Science textbook Politics in India Since Independence underwent controversial changes, where the heading of a passage describing the 2002 Gujarat riots was changed from Anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat to Gujarat riots, and the word against Muslims was deleted from the text. The rationalization exercise removed entire chapters on the Mughal Empire, the Delhi Sultanate, and the Cold War Era, while also deleting references to the Emergency, the Naxalite movement, and the role of minorities. The Class 6 History textbook saw a significant reduction in the section on varnas, with sentences on the hereditary nature of the system and the classification of people as untouchables being removed. The Class 12 Sociology textbook dropped four examples of how untouchability operates, including a passage from activist Harsh Mander's book Unheard Voices. The removal of the chapter Kings and Chronicles: The Mughal Courts, which focused on Mughal-era manuscripts like the Akbar Nama and Badshah Nama, was a particularly contentious move. The NCERT director, Hrushikesh Senapaty, claimed the goal was to plug gaps and update outdated information, but the result was a curriculum that critics argued was designed to present a one-sided historical narrative. The removal of references to the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Emergency, and the Naxalite movement, along with the deletion of chapters on popular movements and social struggles, signaled a shift towards a history that avoided controversial or critical perspectives on the state and society.
The New History of India
In April 2024, the NCERT released revised Political Science and History textbooks that introduced a new narrative on the Harappan civilization and the Aryan migration theory, claiming that the Harappans were an indigenous people with an unbroken continuity for 5,000 years. The revised chapter Bricks, Beads and Bones stated that Harappan genetic roots go back to 10,000 BCE, a claim that critics argued was politically motivated and aimed at downplaying the role of migration in shaping modern India. The Class 12 textbook Politics in India Since Independence underwent more extensive changes, where the name Babri Masjid was removed and replaced with a three-domed structure, and the section on Ayodhya was shortened from four pages to two. The textbook also changed the reference to a military conflict over a border dispute with China to Chinese aggression on the Indian border, and the term Azad Pakistan was replaced with Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Class 8 Social Science textbook, released in July 2025, described Babur as a brutal and ruthless conqueror, slaughtering entire populations of cities, and Akbar as a ruler whose reign combined both brutality and tolerance, including ordering the massacre of some 30,000 civilians at Chittorgarh. The textbook also expanded the section on the Maratha empire, adding a new chapter titled Mighty Maratha Women, which highlighted figures like Tarabai and Ahilyabai Holkar. The removal of references to Tipu Sultan, Hyder Ali, and the four Anglo-Mysore Wars, and the replacement of these figures with a broader focus on colonial economic exploitation, signaled a shift towards a history that emphasized Hindu resistance and downplayed Muslim rule. The textbook also described how colonial powers drained India of its wealth, stating that colonisers extracted many billions of pounds from India, with a recent estimate putting the figure at $45 trillion, a claim that critics argued was an attempt to rewrite the narrative of colonialism.
The Science of Myth
In August 2023, the NCERT released ten sets of reading modules titled Chandrayaan Utsav, which drew scientific criticism for mixing science with mythology. The third module, Chandrayaan Utsav Bharat's Chandrayaan Mission, suggested that ancient Indian texts like the Vaimanika Shastra contained knowledge of flying vehicles, a claim that scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) refuted, stating that the concepts were not aerodynamically sound and that a plane built on them would not fly. Former ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair called the claims scientific fiction, and the Breakthrough Science Society demanded that the government stop presenting mythology as historical fact. The module was initially withdrawn but reintroduced after the government defended its content, stating that mythology and philosophy put forward ideas that lead to innovation. The module also excessively focused on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role rather than on the contributions of ISRO and consistently referred to the country as Bharat instead of India. The controversy highlighted the tension between scientific inquiry and nationalistic narratives, as the NCERT attempted to present ancient texts as evidence of modern scientific achievements. The module's claim that the Vaimanika Shastra contained knowledge of flying vehicles was a direct challenge to the scientific consensus, and the government's decision to reintroduce it after the controversy erupted signaled a willingness to prioritize ideological narratives over empirical evidence. The module's focus on Modi's role and the use of the term Bharat instead of India further underscored the political motivations behind the content, raising questions about the integrity of the educational process.
The Partition of History
In August 2025, the NCERT released a module titled Partition Horrors, which blamed three key parties for the Partition of India: Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Indian National Congress, and Lord Mountbatten. The module asserted that the Partition was not inevitable and that Congress leaders like Nehru and Patel accepted it out of fear of civil war, a claim that the Congress party sharply criticized. A party spokesperson, Pawan Khera, called for the document to be torn up, arguing that it did not mention the role of the Hindu Mahasabha, which he claimed first suggested the idea of separate nations for Hindus and Muslims in 1938. The module also stated that the Partition was the result of a nexus between the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League, a narrative that the Congress party rejected. The module's release sparked protests at Delhi University's Faculty of Arts, with the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) calling it an RSS-BJP's hateful and distorted module. The controversy highlighted the ongoing struggle over the narrative of Partition, as the NCERT attempted to present a version of history that blamed specific parties while ignoring the broader context of the event. The module's claim that the Partition was not inevitable and that Congress leaders accepted it out of fear of civil war was a direct challenge to the historical consensus, and the government's decision to release it despite the backlash signaled a willingness to prioritize ideological narratives over historical accuracy. The module's focus on the role of the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League, and the omission of other key factors, raised questions about the integrity of the educational process and the government's commitment to presenting a balanced and accurate history.
The Future of Education
In December 2025, the NCERT released the second part of the Class 7 Social Science textbook, which detailed Mahmud of Ghazni's seventeen expeditions into India, specifically focusing on the plunder of temples in Mathura and Kannauj and the destruction of the Somnath temple. The textbook described these events as invasions rather than raids, and blamed Muhammad Ghori's army commander Bakhtiyar Khilji for the destruction of major Buddhist learning centers like Nalanda and Vikramashila. The textbook also introduced a shift in perspective by categorizing these events as invasions, and stated that there was a consensus among historians of Buddhism that this destruction of its large centers of learning precipitated the decline of Buddhism in India. The controversy highlighted the ongoing struggle over the narrative of medieval history, as the NCERT attempted to present a version of history that emphasized the brutality of Muslim rulers while downplaying the achievements of other periods. The textbook's description of Mahmud of Ghazni's expeditions and the destruction of Buddhist learning centers was a direct challenge to the historical consensus, and the government's decision to release it despite the backlash signaled a willingness to prioritize ideological narratives over historical accuracy. The textbook's focus on the destruction of Buddhist learning centers and the decline of Buddhism in India, and the omission of other key factors, raised questions about the integrity of the educational process and the government's commitment to presenting a balanced and accurate history. The controversy also highlighted the ongoing struggle over the narrative of medieval history, as the NCERT attempted to present a version of history that emphasized the brutality of Muslim rulers while downplaying the achievements of other periods.