Revised NCERT Textbook Features 'Sindhu-Sarasvati' Terminology, Organized into Comprehensive Themes

Michel Danino: Renaming Harappan Civilization in Textbooks Reflects Established Scholarship, Not Politics

8,000 years old, Indus Valley Civilisation is in the news, as the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has faced scrutiny over the use of the term “Sindhu-Sarsavati” to describe the  Indus Valley civilization (Harappan Civilisation). The revised July update of the Social Science textbook for Class 6, covering History, Political Science, and Geography within a single Social Science framework, has faced controversy, with critics alleging it reflects a Hindutva agenda.

Michel Danino, currently a visiting professor at IIT Gandhinagar in the Humanities and Social Sciences department, recently led the NCERT committee in charge of developing updated social science textbooks that follow the National Curriculum Framework. He supervised the publication of the initial Class 6 textbook, named ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond.’ Addressing these rising concerns he emphasized that this terminology is used due to established archeological scholarship rather than any political motivations. He noted that well-known archaeologists like Jonathan Mark Kenoyer, Jane McIntosh, and Raymond Allchin, along with Jean-Marie Casal and Gregory Possehl, have employed these terms in their studies of the Harappan Civilization.

The new textbook is organized into five themes: ‘India and the World: Land and People,’ ‘Tapestry of the Past,’ ‘Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions,’ ‘Governance and Democracy,’ and ‘Economic Life Around Us.’ These themes will create interest and curiosity in students to know more about the oldest civilizations of India.

Additionally, Assistant Professor Prabhodh Shirwalkar Deccan College Pune and the Central Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) recently reported that human remains discovered at the ancient site of Rakhigarhi in Haryana are approximately 8,000 years old, the same as the civilization. During the excavations at Rakhigarhi, researchers uncovered a large settlement featuring the largest ancient houses ever found, complete with a courtyard and an advanced drainage system. The site included homes with two to six bedrooms and provided insights into the clothing of the era, including a colorful piece of cloth, a shawl, and a skirt. This research offers strong evidence that the Harappan civilization dates back 7,000 to 8,000 years. The professor emphasized that the collaboration between the Department of Archaeology of India and Deccan College confirms the presence of advanced human habitation in India 8,000 years ago.

Editor’s Note:
 

The recent changes in the NCERT class 6 Social Science textbook, which reintroduces the Harappan Civilization under the names “Sindhu-Sarasvati” and “Indus-Sarasvati,” have sparked significant discussion. Michel Danino, head of the NCERT panel, has defended this change, emphasizing that the terminology is rooted in established archaeological scholarship rather than political motives. The new textbook is organized into five themes: 'India and the World: Land and People,' 'Tapestry of the Past,' 'Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions,' 'Governance and Democracy,' and 'Economic Life Around Us.' These themes aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of social science by integrating diverse aspects of historical and contemporary knowledge. 

Skoobuzz marks this groundbreaking discovery at Rakhigarhi as important as this not only sheds light on the advanced nature of the Harappan civilization but also enriches our understanding of ancient history.