Revised Textbook Gives Prominence to Revolutionaries and Regional Uprisings
The new NCERT Class VIII Social Science textbook, titled Exploring Society: India and Beyond, provides a detailed account of Indian revolutionaries and freedom movements in the North-East and Odisha. The book covers the contributions of Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) leaders such as Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekar Azad, as well as women revolutionaries like Suniti Chowdhury and Shanti Ghosh. It also credits the mutinies of the Royal Indian Air Force and Royal Indian Navy for India’s independence, addressing long-standing criticisms that these were omitted from school textbooks.
Paika Rebellion and Sambalpur Uprising Included
The textbook includes the Paika rebellion against colonialism in Odisha, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognised with a commemorative stamp and coin on December 24, 2018. It also covers the uprising in Sambalpur, described as the longest rebellion against the British, lasting from 1827 to 1862.
North-East Freedom Movements Highlighted
Freedom movements in North-East India prior to 1857 are introduced, including the Khasi Revolt (1829-1833) led by Tirot Sing in Meghalaya and the Singpho Rebellion (1830-1840s), a tribal revolt against British rule in eastern Assam. The book states: “Maniram Dewan and Piyali Baruah were publicly hanged by the British during the 1857 rebellion in Assam. Later in the 1942 Quit India Movement, a number of martyrs such as Kanak Lata Baruah and Kushal Konwar laid down their lives. Similarly, in Manipur, Rani Gaidinliu started fighting against the British since the age of 13. She urged the people not to pay taxes and also not to work for colonial masters.”
Revised Perspective on India’s Independence and Partition
The textbook provides context to the debate on why the British left India, asserting that independence was a “hard won, collective victory.” It states: “The earlier view was that it was mostly thanks to Gandhi, his doctrine of nonviolence, and the Congress’s policies. This view has given way to a recognition that multiple other factors were also at work – the popular uprisings, the numerous attempts by revolutionaries, the mutinies in the Royal Indian Air Force and the Royal Indian Navy. Also, Britain’s diminished status after World War II, and the worldwide trend towards decolonisation – the age of empires was over, at least in that form.”
On the Partition of India, the book revises earlier references. It now says the Partition plan was widely opposed by the Congress and resulted from disagreements between the two communities. This contrasts with a previous NCERT module that held the Congress, Lord Mountbatten, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah responsible for Partition, which drew strong opposition from the Congress.
Hindu Mahasabha’s Stance on Partition
The textbook also claims that the Hindu Mahasabha under V.D. Savarkar saw Hindus and Muslims as “two distinct nations living side by side” but never explicitly asked for Partition.
