Madhavan slams NCERT for favoring Mughals over Cholas
What's the story
Actor R Madhavan has also given his two cents on the debate around NCERT removing portions of the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate from Class 7 textbooks.
Speaking to News18, Madhavan slammed the earlier curriculum for not giving enough importance to Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
He said when he studied history, there were eight chapters on Mughals, two on Harappa and Mohenjo-daro civilizations, four on British rule and freedom struggle, and just one on southern kingdoms.
Historical importance
'Chola Empire is 2,400 years old...Where's that part of history?'
Madhavan stressed the importance of the Chola Empire, which he said is 2,400 years old.
"The British and the Mughals ruled us for close to 800 years, but the Chola Empire is 2,400 years old...Where's that part of our history?"
"Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism spread to China. People in Korea speak half Tamil because that's how far our language reached. And we encapsulated all of this in just one chapter," he added.
Syllabus critique
Madhavan criticized the syllabus decision and highlighted Tamil's significance
Madhavan slammed the decision behind the syllabus and asked, "Whose narrative is this? Who decided the syllabus? Tamil is the oldest language in the world, but nobody knows about it. The scientific knowledge hidden in our culture is being mocked right now."
He feels his recent release, Kesari: Chapter 2, is a step toward changing that narrative.
Madhavan reiterated that if they are correcting narratives, the focus should be on making it correct, not criticizing creative liberties.
Curriculum changes
NCERT's removal of Mughal and Delhi Sultanate references
Reportedly, the NCERT has removed all references to the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate from its Class 7 textbooks.
The latest revision also includes a chapter on dynasties reflecting "Indian ethos," references to the Maha Kumbh, and flagship union government initiatives.
These changes are in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023.
Historical content removal
First time Mughal, Delhi Sultanate content completely removed
Notably, this is the first time NCERT textbooks have completely removed all content concerning the Mughals and the Delhi Sultanate.
Earlier, in a syllabus rationalization exercise amid the COVID-19 pandemic, detailed accounts of dynasties such as the Tughlaqs, Khaljis, Mamluks, and Lodis were trimmed.
A two-page table on Mughal emperors' achievements was also scrapped during this time, per PTI.