Scholars dismayed over NCERT history book deletions, recall Hindu-Muslim solidarity against British

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By India Today Education Desk: Eminent scholars expressed their dismay over the changes made in the presentation of modern Indian history during a discussion organised by Hashim Abdul Halim Foundation in Kolkata. Scholars pointed out that the changes made to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) syllabus go against India’s tradition of inclusiveness.

The academics voiced their concerns over the exclusion of references to Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a prominent figure who contributed to India’s freedom struggle, from the revised NCERT syllabus.

Professor Maidul Islam, a political scientist from the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences in Kolkata, lamented that instead of moving forward, India is moving backward.

He said that Azad, who negotiated India’s freedom with other prominent leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, has been deleted from the new syllabus.

“We are now seeing Azad deleted from the syllabus, a person of stature not seen in 100 years… He has been deleted from the new syllabus. You can delete but some people will remain forever etched in the psyche of the nation,” he said.

The professor pointed out that the guiding principles of the Indian Constitution guarantee the rights of those who chose to stay on in the country after Independence, despite not leaving for anywhere else. He further added that these people had contributed to India’s freedom struggle and the growth of the nation.

Former Professor of Political Science at Delhi University, Professor Shamsul Islam, claimed that the current changes to the syllabus make it seem like only some ‘khas lok’ (privileged people) are entitled to live in India, which is not what India is all about.

Former Professor of Political Science, Delhi University, Prof Shamsul Islam claimed it looked like “only some ‘khas lok’ (privileged people) are entitled to live here, which is not the India we all know.”

The professor recalled that there was no communal divide between soldiers who participated in India’s first war of independence in 1857. Hindu and Muslim soldiers revolted together against British rule in support of the then-emperor, who was a Muslim.

“There was no Hindu, Muslim fight in those days. Words like communalism and secularism were unheard of. All these terminology came into being in the late 19th-20th century,” the veteran academic said.

“There was no concept like religious nationalism in South Asia in those days,” he said.

Eminent historian Professor Bhaskar Chakraborty of Calcutta University pointed out that borders cease to exist in Taki, Basirhat along the Bangladesh border during the Durga Puja festival, “as people from both sides join together in boats to participate in the revelry. These are families who live on both sides of river Ichamati which separates the two countries.”

The academician stated that in many ways, the border does not exist for these people conjoined by ethnicity and geographical nearness.

(With PTI inputs)

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