How much Mughal history has been removed from Indian textbooks? | A deep look
Children will, at best, read NCERT books about Mughal history in classes 7 and 12. Very little is there in Class 8 and nothing is remembered for Classes 9 to 11. There are no in-depth chapters on the Mughal era's conflicts.
Ankush Pandey
Everyone can now view the rationalized syllabus produced by NCERT. Notably, the selective rationing of Mughal content in NCERT textbooks has sparked a political storm due to the absence of Mughal history and the manner in which it has been shortened at various levels.
According to the rationalized syllabus 2023–24, a significant amount of Mughal history has been removed from all NCERT history books, both older and newer versions, from Classes 7–12.
MUGHALS IN 16TH-17TH CENTURY
In the social science book "Our Pasts - II," one can learn about the history of the Mughals in seventh grade. The Tomars, Chauhans, early 12th-century Turkish rulers, Qutubuddin Aybak, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, Jalaluddin Khalji, or the Khalji dynasty, and the Lodi Dynasty, which lasted until 1526, are discussed in Class 7's chapter titled "Delhi, 12th to 15th century."
The section titled "The Mughals (16th to 17th century)" marks the beginning of Mughal history. This book discusses the Mughal military campaigns, their identities, succession practices, and relationships with other rulers.
On page 41, Mughal marriages with Rajputs are also mentioned: Jahangir's mother was a Kachwaha princess who was the daughter of the Rajput ruler of Amber (present-day Jaipur). Rathor, a princess who was the daughter of the Rajput ruler of Marwar (Jodhpur), was Shahjahan's mother.
This chapter also includes Akbar Nama and Ain-i-Akbari, which discuss the station, household, army, other avenues, and geography of Akbar's empire. The inclusion of statistical information about a wide range of topics, including crops, their prices, and the revenues they generate, is Ain-I-Akbari's most intriguing feature.
The section comes full circle with the Mughal Domain in the seventeenth 100 years and later.
CLASS 8: BRITISH COLONIALISM
In Class 8, the set of experiences course book named 'Our Pasts — III' prior remembered a concise presentation for the last strong Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb, and how, after his passing in 1707, numerous Mughal lead representatives and large zamindars started stating their position and laying out local realms.
The book, on the other hand, jumps right into the history of British colonialism now that the rationalized NCERT syllabus has been made available online. The book's chapters explain how, in the second half of the eighteenth century, the British and the East India Company arrived in India, respectively, marking the emergence of a new political power.
CLASS 9 AND 10: FRENCH AND RUSSIAN REVOLUTIONS, INDUSTRIALISATION
The French and Russian Revolutions, Nazism, and other aspects of world history are covered in class 9 by NCERT. The rise of nationalism, the spread of printing, and the industrial revolution are the primary topics covered in the 10th grade history textbook.
CLASS 11: WORLD EMPIRES
Themes in World History is a history textbook for 11th grade. It discusses world empires like the Greek Empire, the Roman Empire, the Mesopotamian Civilization, the Mongols, and Ghengis Khan's rule.
CLASS 12: THEME 9- KINGS AND CHRONICLES REMOVED
In Class 12, there is a part on the Mughal Realm concerning the land income framework with the characterization of grounds under Akbar and the agrarian culture in 'Subject 8: Zamindars, peasants, and the state'
After the rationalization of the NCERT syllabus, the only higher-level chapter on Mughal history was titled "Theme 9: The chapter titled "Kings and Chronicles, the Mughal Courts (C-the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries)" was taken out of the "Themes of Indian History Part II" class 12 history textbook.
The chapter discussed the process by which the Mughal empire was formed and the significance of the chronicles commissioned by the Mughal emperors for comprehending the Mughal empire and its court. It refers to the Akbar Nama, the Shahjahan Nama, and various Mughal artworks.
In effect, as a result of the rationalization of the NCERT syllabus, students can study some of the history of the Mughals in Class 7, very little in Class 8, none at all in Classes 9 through 11, and a reduced version in Class 12.
The NCERT has claimed that the Mughal history topics were only removed because they were being repeated successively over several academic years from Classes 7 to 12. The NCERT has denied that the rationalization process resulted in selective removals and deletions from the NCERT books.
MUGHAL RULE UNDER AKBAR REMOVED FROM BA HONS HISTORY
In addition to the NCERT, references to the Mughals have been eliminated from undergraduate history honors courses at Delhi University.
"The Consolidation of Mughal Rule unde Akbar" was removed from "The History of India (V) c. 1550–1605" in the revised BA history honors syllabus for 2019–20. His campaigns and strategies for conquest, the development of administrative institutions, revolts, and resistance were all included in this.
Instead, the course's title was "The Establishment of Political Authority:" and it covered a variety of topics. The political formations, context, campaigns, and conquests of the 16th century, military tactics, and Chaghatayid notions of kingship of the Mughals and Rajputs were all discussed. The interventions of Abu'l Fazl, the Rajputs, and other groups of warriors.
Additionally, "The Consolidation of Political Authority" underwent revisions: Mughal, Rajput, and Nayakas' inside which there are points like the advancement of Big shot authoritative establishments: Agrarian and Revenue Relationships: Mansab, Jagir, Land Revenue Systems, and Peasants and Zamindar; Rajput explains: Amber, Mewar, and Marwar; and the Nayakas' formation of a state: Senji, Madurai, and Thanjavur
