From ‘Make in India’ to Char Dham: New NCERT Class 7 textbooks emphasise Indian culture, sacred geography

Out of 15 stories, poems, and narrative pieces in the English textbook, nine are by Indian writers or feature content and characters that are Indian, including works by Rabindranath Tagore, APJ Abdul Kalam, and Ruskin Bond. The book also includes pieces on mountaineer Arunima Sinha, the national war memorial, and a comic on warrior queen Rani Abbakka from Karnataka.

For comparison, ‘Honeycomb’, the old class 7 English textbook, which was first published in 2006-07 based on the National Curriculum Framework 2005, had 17 stories, poems, and other writing, including four by Indian writers (a story each by writers Vasantha Surya and Sharada Dwivedi; a comic titled ‘Gopal and the Hilsa Fish’; a piece on the national war memorial).

The Social Science textbook features a dedicated chapter titled ‘How the Land Becomes Sacred’ that focuses on sacred places and pilgrimages across India and outside for religions like Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and “tirthayatras” or pilgrimages in the Jain tradition

It references the recently concluded Kumbh Mela and the “estimated 660 million people who participated” in it. The chapter introduces concepts like ‘sacred geography’ – networks of sacred places including 12 jyotirlingas, the char dham yatra, and the ‘Shakti pithas’ – locations “across the subcontinent” where the body parts of Shakti fell.

It also highlights the sacred ecology of India, where natural features like river confluences, mountains, and forests are revered. The Kumbh Mela, held at Prayagraj, is discussed with reference to the participation of “an estimated 660 million people” and its mythological origins linked to the ‘amrita manthana’.

The chapter also references sacred traditions beyond India, such as those in ancient Greece and New Zealand.

Asked about the objective behind including a chapter on sacred places in the geography section of the textbook, Michel Danino, head of the NCERT committee for social science, directed this newspaper to the NCERT. NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani did not provide an immediate response to the query.

Unlike the previous structure, where history, geography, and civics were split across three different textbooks, the new Exploring Society integrates these disciplines. Part one, released this month, also covers janapadas and mahajanapadas, the varna-jati system, ancient dynasties like the Mauryas and Guptas, an introduction to the Constitution, and types of governments. The textbook acknowledges that while the varna-jati system initially provided societal stability, it later became rigid, particularly under British rule, leading to inequalities. Part two of this textbook is expected later, officials said.

The rollout of these new textbooks for classes 4, 5, 7, and 8 follows similar updates for classes 1 and 2 in 2023 and classes 3 and 6 in 2024. All are designed in line with the NEP 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, which emphasise incorporating India’s rich traditions, philosophies, knowledge systems, and local context into school education.