The NCERT rationalised syllabus is now for everyone to see. Notably, the absence of Mughal history and the way it has been shortened at various levels has raised a political storm and questions about the selective rationing of content on Mughals in NCERT textbooks.
A more detailed scrutiny of all the history books published by the NCERT, both older and newer versions, from Classes 7-12 revealed that much of Mughal history has been deleted as per the rationalised syllabus 2023-24.
One can read about Mughal history from Class 7 in the social science book titled 'Our Pasts - II'. In Class 7, The chapter titled 'Delhi - 12th to 15th century' talks about other dynasties that came before the Mughals such as the Tomars, Chauhans, the early 12th-century Turkish rulers, Qutubuddin Aybak, Shamsuddin Iltutmish, Jalaluddin Khalji or the Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, and the Lodi Dynasty that remained till 1526.
Mughal history begins with the chapter 'The Mughals (16th to 17th century)'. This talks about the Mughal military campaigns, who they were, Mughal traditions and succession, and their relations with other rulers.
A mention of Mughal marriages with the Rajputs is also there on page 41: "The mother of Jahangir was Kachwaha princess, daughter of Rajput ruler of Amber (modern-day Jaipur). The mother of Shahjahan was Rathor, princess, daughter of the Rajput ruler of Marwar (Jodhpur)."
The topics of Akbar Nama and Ain-i-Akbari are also part of this chapter and they deal with the station, household, army, other avenues and the geography of Akbar's empire. The most interesting aspect of Ain-I-Akbari is that it includes statistical details about things as diverse as crops and their prices and the revenues they generate.
The chapter culminates with the Mughal empire in the 17th century and after.
In Class 8, the history textbook titled 'Our Pasts- III' earlier included a brief introduction on the last powerful Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb, and how after his death in 1707, many Mughal governors and big zamindars began asserting their authority and establishing regional kingdoms.
However now, after the NCERT rationalised syllabus has been published online, the book leads straight to the history of British colonialism. The chapters in the book show how, by the second half of the eighteenth century, a new power emerged on the political horizon - the British, followed by the coming of the East India Company in India.
In Class 9, NCERT teaches about the French and Russian Revolutions, Nazism, and aspects of world history. In Class 10, the history book is all about the emergence of nationalism, the spread of printing, and the era of industrialisation.
In Class 11, there is a book of history titled 'Themes in World History' which talks about the world empires such as the Greek empire, the Roman Empire, the Mesopotamian civilisation, the Mongols, and the reign of Ghengis Khan.
In Class 12, there is a chapter on Mughal empire concerning the land revenue system with the classification of lands under Akbar and the agrarian society in 'Theme 8- Peasants, Zamindars and the State'.
After the NCERT syllabus rationalization, the only chapter dedicated to Mughal history in a higher class titled 'Theme 9- Kings and Chronicles, the Mughal courts (C- sixteen and seventeenth centuries)' was removed from the Class 12 history textbook 'Themes of Indian History Part - II'.
The chapter spoke about how the Mughal empire was carved out and how chronicles commissioned by the Mughal emperors are an important source for understanding the Mughal empire and its court. It mentions the Akbar Nama, the Shahjahan Nama, the Mughal paintings, etc.
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Source : Indiatoday
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