Replace 'India' with 'Bharat' recommends NCERT panel

A focus panel for social sciences constituted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has proposed that the word ‘India’ be replaced with ‘Bharat’ in school textbooks said chairperson CI Isaac on Wednesday. The panel, aimed to revise the curriculum has further proposed introducing the name ‘classical history’ instead of ‘ancient history.’

“The term India started being used commonly only after the establishment of the East India Company and the battle of Plassey in 1757,” said CI Issac. The chairperson of NCERT stated that the name ‘Bharat’ is an age-old name that is reflective of India’s illustrious history; the name can be found in texts that are as old as 7000 years, such as the Vishnu Purana. “Article 1(1) of the Constitution already states India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States,” observed CI Issac.

The NCERT Chairperson informed that given the premise of the country's nomenclature, the seven-member focus panel has unanimously made the recommendation. This suggestion has also made it to the final position paper on social sciences drafted by the panel.

The move comes only days after the Centre was seen encouraging the usage of the ‘Bharat’, as invitations to the G20 presidential dinner in September indicated the event was hosted by the ‘President of Bharat.’ Following which, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nameplate at the G20 summit also bore Bharat instead of India.

However, NCERT Chairman Dinesh Saklani later informed that no decision pertaining to the focus panel's recommendation has been taken. Taking to 'X', the council informed, "NCERT states that since the development of new syllabus and textbooks is in the process and for that purpose various Curricular Area Groups of domain experts are being notified by the NCERT. So, it is too premature to comment."

The panel for social sciences constituted by the NCERT in 2021 to curate position papers on various disciplines and issues has also proposed that 'classical history' be used instead of 'ancient history' in textbooks. CI Issac claimed that the British separated Indian history into three periods: ancient, medieval, and modern. In the historical discourse propounded by the British, India has been portrayed in a dark light India, ignorant of scientific knowledge and progress. Many instances of India's successes in the British classified ‘ancient era’ include Aryabhatta's work on the solar system model.

Highlighting “Hindu victories” in the textbooks in textbooks is another suggestion proposed by the panel. “Our failures are presently mentioned in the textbooks. But our victories over the Mughals and Sultans are not,” said the NCERT Chairperson. In addition, the introduction of IKS or the Indian Knowledge System has been recommended by the focus panel.


The NCERT is rewriting the curriculum of school textbooks to align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. To finalize the curriculum, textbooks, and learning materials for these classes, the council has formed a 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC).