Falsifying history fuels divisions

The NCERT, which is a top resource organisation established by the Government of India to provide guidance and assistance to both central and state governments on academic matters concerning school education, has been accused of reflecting the political views of the ruling party. As part of this, revisions have been made to several of its textbooks, including the removal of certain chapters.

For instance, the Grade 12 history book Themes of Indian History-Part II no longer contains chapters on "Kings and Chronicles; the Mughal Courts (C. 16th and 17th centuries)." In addition, two chapters from the Class 12 textbook Indian Politics after Independence--"Rise of Popular Movements" and "Era of One Party Dominance" --have been removed. Furthermore, the Class 10 book Democratic Politics-2 no longer features chapters such as "Democracy and Diversity," "Popular Struggles and Movements," and "Challenges of Democracy." These changes will apply to all schools that use NCERT books nationwide. The removal of historical facts based on political whims is an unacceptable practice.

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“False history” is more dangerous because it encourages false narratives, distorts the truth, or completely omits some crucial details. School textbooks have long been regarded as essential components in forming national narratives and as a means of developing a desired national identity. In 18 states throughout the country, more than five-crore students use NCERT textbooks, and political parties view them as a sizable captive audience with receptive minds.

Learning about history enables us to comprehend how past events have shaped the world as it is today. Learning from the past not only helps us understand ourselves and how we got here but also develops the ability to avoid mistakes in the future and steer society in better directions.

A political party denies historical facts and revises the past, and a divisive mindset is promoted for its political goals. To achieve this, historical documents, statistics, and sources are falsified, while questionable ones are presented as legitimate.

The manipulation of history serves several political objectives, some of which are public mobilisation, the construction of the enemy’s image, the demonization of the rival, and the fabrication of the illusion of power. Academics refer to this approach as negationism, denialism, and revisionism.

Though education was moved from the State List to the Concurrent List of the Constitution, state governments are often responsible for overseeing education. Yet the central government also has the power to decide crucial issues that affect the entire nation and set the tone. India has a wide variety of schools managed by religious bodies like Christian missionary schools and madrassas, private institutions, as well as institutions managed by groups with Hindu nationalist leanings.

With young people making up the bulk of the population, India is the world’s largest young nation today. What gives it the demographic dividend is that 60% of Indians are young, and one in five of them is between 10 and 19 years old. If history can be successfully changed in students’ minds through textbooks and then flourish in an uncritical public setting, it will have a lasting effect. To establish a peaceful future, they should study history with the intention of avoiding repeating its catastrophes. When developing the curriculum at all levels, there should be more extensive and open consultations.

In a huge, impoverished nation like India, school textbooks are the main source of education. They are diverse and printed in a variety of languages since the states in India decide what is taught in public schools. Typically, they have been plain and formal. The majority of textbooks that have been approved by the NCERT serve a large, diverse population and have generally adhered to what might be called secular education, placing no special emphasis on religion or any particular faith, particularly in history textbooks.

Philosopher John Locke, way back in the 1770s, introduced the idea of the child as a blank slate. The adult’s educational role was to fill that slate in the most appropriate way. What was entered on the slate would thus define the adult that that child would become. But that will now be filled with the historical narratives that the government wants them to accept. This fuels ideological divisions, creates quarrelling citizenry and plants the seeds of a narrow view of the world they inhabit. To establish a peaceful future, they should study history with the intention of avoiding repeating its catastrophes. The curriculum should be developed through more extensive, open consultations.

(The writer is a retired
deputy director of boilers.)