Rethink On Harappan Civilisation, Aryan Immigration, And More: Here Are The Changes NCERT Made In School Textbooks

The National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced significant changes to the history chapter meant for Class 12 students.

In the revised chapter titled “Bricks, Beads and Bones – The Harappan Civilization”, emphasis has been placed on the “unbroken continuity for 5000 years” of the Harappan civilization.

As reported by Indian Express, the additions and deletions related to the Harappan Civilisation have been justified on the grounds that “recent evidence from archaeological sites” warrants a “correction” in the said chapter.

“The genetic roots of the Harappans go back to 10,000 BCE. The DNA of the Harappans has continued till today and a majority of the South Asian population appears to be their descendants," NCERT stated.

Further a sentence has been added calling for more research into the relation between Harappans and Vedic people.

It states, “More research is also required on the relationship between the Harappans and the Vedic people as some scholars have argued that the authors of the Harappan civilisation and the Vedic people were the same.”

The additions also reference  recent archaeogenetic research conducted at the Rakhigarhi site to rule out Aryan immigration, and suggest that the Harappans practised some form of democratic system.

Additionally, adjustments have been made to sociology textbooks, including language and content related to tribal struggles and social inequality.

In the Class 6 History textbook a Chapter titled ‘Tribals, Dikus and the Vision of a Golden Age’ talks about Birsa Munda’s opposition to “missionaries and Hindu landlords.”

Here, the word Hindu has been dropped and this omission has been justified stating that it reflects the “diverse social backgrounds of the landlords of the time.”

Also, an image of communal riots in the sixth chapter of the Class 12 Sociology textbook (Indian Society) has been dropped on the ground that it is “not relevant in the present time.”

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