NCERT panel advocates ‘Bharat’ over ‘India’ in school textbooks

A high-level committee for social sciences, constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revise the school curriculum, has recommended replacing the name ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in textbooks and introducing ‘classical History’ instead of ancient History in the curriculum, said committee’s Chairperson CI Issac on October 25, 2023.

Issac stated that the unanimous recommendation given by the seven-member committee has found mention in its final position paper on social sciences, which is a key prescriptive document for laying down the foundation for the development of new NCERT textbooks.

In addition, the Article 1(1) of the Constitution already states “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States”. Bharat is an ageold name; the use of the name finds its mention in ancient texts such as Vishnu Purana, which is 7,000 years old, said Issac.

The term ‘India’ started being used commonly only after the establishment of the East India Company and the battle of Plassey in 1757, according to him. Therefore, the committee has unanimously recommended that the name ‘Bharat’ should be used in textbooks for students across classes, Issac opined.

The name ‘Bharat’ first appeared officially after the government sent out G20 invites hosted by the President in the name of ‘President of Bharat’, instead of ‘President of India’. Later, the nameplate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Summit in New Delhi also read ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’.