NCF sub group suggestion to change India to Bharat not there in final documents
- October 26, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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NCF sub group suggestion to change India to Bharat not there in final documents
Subject: History
Section: Modern India
Context: National Curriculum Framework sub-group suggestion to change ‘India’ to ‘Bharat’ not there in final document
More about the news:
- One of the 25 focus groups formed by the NCERT suggested renaming ‘India’ to ‘Bharat’ in social science textbooks.
- However, the final National Curriculum Framework (NCF) released by the Education Ministry doesn’t mention this change.
- The proposal was made by the social sciences focus group but isn’t confirmed for implementation yet.
- The NCF provides education guidelines, and the NCERT is in the process of drafting new textbooks based on the NCF.
Where does the name ‘Bharat’ come from, in the first place:
- The term “Bharat” has historical roots in Puranic literature and the Mahabharata epic, describing it as the land between the southern sea and the northern abode of snow.
- It’s associated with an ancient king, Bharata, who was the ancestor of the Rig Vedic tribe and, by extension, all subcontinental people.
- Bharat is the ancient & original name of our country, it was mentioned in Vishnu Puran as well
- Jawaharlal Nehru highlighted the enduring unity of India as Bharata, rooted in a common faith and culture dating back to the remote past.
What was the view of Constituent Assembly:
- In his ‘Discovery of India’, Nehru referred to “India”, “Bharata” and “Hindustan”, but when the question of naming India in the Constitution arose, ‘Hindustan’ was dropped and both ‘Bharat’ and ‘India’ were retained.
- During the Constituent Assembly debates the “Name and territory of the Union” was taken up for discussion on September 17, 1949.
- Right from the time Article 1 was read out as “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States”, a division arose among the members.
- There were quite a few members who were against the use of the name ‘India’, which they saw as being a reminder of the colonial past.
- HV Kamath suggested that the first article should read, “Bharat, or in the English language, India, shall be…”.
- Hargovind Pant, who represented the hill districts of the United Provinces, made it clear that the people of Northern India “wanted Bharatvarsha and nothing else”.
- None of the suggestions were accepted, illustrating contrasting visions of the budding nation.
- The draft Article 1 of the Constitution – “India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States” – was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on September 18, 1949.
- Apart from Article 1, the Constitution, originally drafted in English does not refer to “Bharat” in any other provision. The Preamble also refers to “We the People of India.”