The latest Class 8 Social Science textbook released by NCERT takes a more critical look at historical figures like Babur, Akbar, and Aurangzeb, describing them as aggressive rulers and drawing attention to episodes of religious intolerance during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods. These references appear in a section titled “Note on Some Darker Periods in History,” which, according to NCERT, aims to provide students with a broader and more reflective understanding of the past.The new Class 8 Social Science textbook by the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) presents a critical perspective on Mughal rulers. It describes Babur as a “brutal and ruthless conqueror” who slaughtered entire city populations, characterizes Akbar’s rule as a “blend of brutality and tolerance,” and highlights Aurangzeb’s destruction of temples and gurdwaras. The textbook also points to several instances of religious intolerance during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal periods. As per a media report, the NCERT has explained the rationale for including them in a “Note on Some Darker Periods in History”. One of the chapters in the book includes a cautionary note that “no one should be held responsible today for events of the past”.Part 1 of the NCERT’s new Social Science textbook — ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond’ — was released this week for the current academic session. It is the first among the newly revised books to introduce students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal era. Earlier, this period was covered in Class 7, but under the new syllabus, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the Marathas will now be part of the Class 8 curriculum.In the new book for Class 8, a chapter – ‘Reshaping India’s Political Map’ – covers the rise and fall of the Delhi Sultanate and resistance to it, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mughals and the resistance to them, and the rise of the Sikhs.The Sultanate period is portrayed as a time of political instability and frequent military campaigns, during which villages and cities were plundered, and temples and centres of learning were destroyed. The textbook’s sections on the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals include multiple references to temple attacks and describe the “brutality” of certain rulers during these eras.“The events…(and many more) did happen and left their mark on Indian history; the rationale for including them has been explained in the ‘Note on Some Darker Periods in History’. The historical account given, while it does not sanitise history, is balanced and entirely evidence-based. Besides, in addition to the ‘Note on Some Darker Periods in History’, a cautionary note has been inserted in one of the chapters to make it clear that no one should be held responsible today for events of the past. The emphasis is on an honest approach to history with a view to drawing from it important lessons for a better future,” NCERT said in a statement.NCERT has been rolling out new school textbooks based on the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023. So far, updated textbooks have been released for Classes 1 to 4, as well as for Classes 6 and 7.
