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Part 1 of the Class 8 Social Science book — ‘Exploring Society: Indian and Beyond’ — was released this week for the ongoing academic session.
NCERT new class 8 textbook flags ‘brutality’ of Mughals. (Image: Representative)
Babur is depicted as a “brutal and ruthless conqueror who slaughtered entire populations of cities,” Akbar’s reign as a “blend of brutality and tolerance,” and Aurangzeb as one who demolished temples and gurdwaras. The new Class 8 Social Science textbook from NCERT, covering the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals, presents a harsher view of the empire and highlights “numerous instances of religious intolerance” during that era.
NCERT explains the inclusion of these descriptions in a “Note on Some Darker Periods in History,” with one chapter including a cautionary statement that “no one should be held responsible today for events of the past.”
Part 1 of the Class 8 Social Science book — ‘Exploring Society: Indian and Beyond’ — was released this week for the ongoing academic session. This book is the first of the new NCERT editions to introduce students to the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals.
According to the Indian Express, this period was introduced to students in Class 7 in earlier years; however, the NCERT said that the period of Indian history that will cover the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, and the Marathas will now only be dealt with in Class 8 in the new syllabus.
In the new book, the chapter covering Indian history talks about 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 chapter describes the Sultanate period as the era that was marked by political instability and military campaigns that saw villages and cities being plundered and temples being destroyed.
The sections on the Sultanate and the Mughals also point towards the “attacks” on temples and the “brutality” of some of the rulers.
Mahima Joshi, Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking team. Covering national stories and bringing breaking news to the table are her forte. She is deeply interested in Indian politics and a…Read More
Mahima Joshi, Sub-Editor at News18.com, works with the India and Breaking team. Covering national stories and bringing breaking news to the table are her forte. She is deeply interested in Indian politics and a… Read More
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