NCERT books to have ‘Bharat’, instead of ‘India’, proposal accepted, says panel member

A proposal by a National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) panel to have ‘Bharat’ printed on the next set of books, instead of ‘India’, has been accepted unanimously. The new NCERT books will have the name change, according to panel member CI Isaac. 

Isaac said that the proposal was put forth some months ago. The decision comes amid intense speculation on whether the name of the country will be officially changed to ‘Bharat’. The invites for the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu referred to her as the President of Bharat, which kickstarted a political row. 

After that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nameplate during his address at the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in Delhi's Pragati Maidan, also displayed ‘Bharat’ instead of ‘India’. Videos and photos of PM Modi’s address with the Bharat placard had gone viral. 

It must be mentioned here that Article 1 (1) of the Constitution defines the name of our country as "India, that is Bharat shall be the Union of States".

The UN had, last year, responded to a formal request from the Turkish government to change the name of the country from Turkey to Turkiye. Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Farhan Haq, in a response to inquiries about the possibility of India changing its name had said, "Well, in the case of Turkiye, we responded to a formal request delivered to us by the Government. Obviously, if we get requests like that, we consider them as they come."

Moreover, the proposal that was put forth some months ago, also recommended highlighting ‘Hindu victories’ in the textbooks. The panel also recommended introducing ‘classical history’ instead of ‘ancient history’ in the textbooks. History will also no longer be divided into ancient, medieval and modern.

The panel also proposed the introduction of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the curriculum of all subjects. 

The committee is one of the 25 committees that are working with NCERT at the central level to change the curriculum as per the National Education Policy 2020. 

Also read: G20 Summit: 'Bharat' displayed in front of PM Modi during inaugural address

Also read: Bharat vs India row: UN says it considers name change requests 'as and when they come'

Also read: 'India that is Bharat is in the Constitution': EAM S Jaishankar on India-Bharat controversy