A high-level committee for social sciences, constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revise the school curriculum, has recommended the use of “Bharat” in place of “India” in text books.

The chairman CI Isaac said that the committee has suggested adding “classical history” rather than “ancient history” in the textbooks. The committee is one of the 25 groups established by the NCERT in 2021 to develop position papers on a variety of disciplines and issues.

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The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) established a high-level committee on social sciences to review the school curriculum. According to the committee chairperson, the committee has recommended substituting the name “India” for “Bharat” in textbooks and adding “classical History” in place of ancient History.

According to Isaac, the seven-member committee’s unanimous suggestion was acknowledged in the final position paper on social sciences, a crucial guide that lays the groundwork for the creation of new NCERT textbooks.

The Constitution’s Article 1(1) declares that “India, that is, Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”

The name Bharat is ancient. According to Isaac, the term “Bharat” is used in books as old as the 7,000-year-old Vishnu Purana.

“It wasn’t until the founding of the East India Company and the Plassey battle in 1757 that the term India became widely used,” he stated. Thus, according to Isaac, the committee has unanimously recommended that the term “Bharat” be used in textbooks for students in all subject areas.

The official name Bharat emerged when the President of India was invited to the G20 as “President of Bharat,” rather than “President of India,” by the government.

Later, at the summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nameplate read “Bharat” rather than “India.”

Isaac went on to say that the committee, one of the 25 established by the NCERT in 2021 to draught position papers on a range of topics and themes, has additionally suggested that “classical history” be included in textbooks rather than “ancient history.”

According to him, the British split Indian history into three periods: ancient, medieval, and modern. These periods depicted India as being in the dark, uninformed of advancements in science and technology. However, he pointed out that Aryabhatta’s work on the solar system model is just one of many examples of India’s accomplishments during that era.