Hashim Abdul Halim Foundation, Kolkata, recently organised a discussion regarding the recent changes in the presentation of history in the NCERT books. Eminent scholars expressed their disappointment against the misrepresentation of history in the NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) books and expressed that the syllabus goes against the country’s spirit of inclusivity.
The scholars voiced their opinions against the deletion of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad from the revised syllabus. Azad was an eminent figure who had contributed immensely to India’s freedom struggle.
Professor Maidul Islam, faculty and political scientist at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences in Kolkata lamented Azad’s deletion from the syllabus, saying that Azad had negotiated India’a freedom deeply with other prominent leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. He said that it is impossible to delete Azad’s contribution from the nation’s psyche.
He further pointed out that the Constitution of India guarantees the rights of the people who choose to stay in India after partition. He added that these people had a lion’s share of contribution towards the independence of India.
Professor Shamsul Islam, a former professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Delhi, regretted that the recent revision of the syllabus points out that only some “khas lok” (or privileged people) are entitled to living in India.
Eminent historian Professor Bhaskar Chakraborty of Calcutta University pointed out that borders cease to exist in Taki, Basirhat along the Bangladesh border during the Durga Puja festival, “as people from both sides join together in boats to participate in the revelry. These are families who live on both sides of river Ichamati which separates the two countries.” He also added that in a lot of ways, the border does not exist for these people conjoined by ethnicity and geographical nearness.
