NEW DELHI: “Bharat” and “India” will be used interchangeably in NCERT textbooks, aligning with the terminology in the country’s Constitution, according to Dinesh Prasad Saklani, director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
Saklani’s comments are significant following a recommendation from a high-level panel on the social science curriculum to replace “India” with “Bharat” in all school textbooks.In a discussion with PTI editors, the NCERT chief stated that both terms will appear in the textbooks and that the council has no preference for either.
The name Bharat gained official prominence last year when the govt issued G20 invitations under the title “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India.” Subsequently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nameplate at the summit in New Delhi also read “Bharat” instead of “India”.
“It is interchangeable….our position is what our Constitution says and we uphold that. We can use Bharat, we can use India, what is the problem? We are not in that debate. Wherever it suits we will use India, wherever it suits we will use Bharat. We have no aversion to either India or Bharat,” he said. “You can see both being used in our textbooks already and that will continue in new textbooks. This is a useless debate,” Saklani added.
A high-level committee for social sciences, established by NCERT to revise the school curriculum, recommended last year that “India” be replaced with “Bharat” in textbooks for all classes. Committee chairperson C I Isaac said they proposed replacing “ancient history” with “classical history” and integrating the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into the syllabus for all subjects. At that time, NCERT stated no decision had been made regarding the panel’s recommendations.
Saklani’s comments are significant following a recommendation from a high-level panel on the social science curriculum to replace “India” with “Bharat” in all school textbooks.In a discussion with PTI editors, the NCERT chief stated that both terms will appear in the textbooks and that the council has no preference for either.
The name Bharat gained official prominence last year when the govt issued G20 invitations under the title “President of Bharat” instead of “President of India.” Subsequently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nameplate at the summit in New Delhi also read “Bharat” instead of “India”.
“It is interchangeable….our position is what our Constitution says and we uphold that. We can use Bharat, we can use India, what is the problem? We are not in that debate. Wherever it suits we will use India, wherever it suits we will use Bharat. We have no aversion to either India or Bharat,” he said. “You can see both being used in our textbooks already and that will continue in new textbooks. This is a useless debate,” Saklani added.
A high-level committee for social sciences, established by NCERT to revise the school curriculum, recommended last year that “India” be replaced with “Bharat” in textbooks for all classes. Committee chairperson C I Isaac said they proposed replacing “ancient history” with “classical history” and integrating the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into the syllabus for all subjects. At that time, NCERT stated no decision had been made regarding the panel’s recommendations.