NCERT panel head Michel Danino, Calling the Harappan Civilization “Sindhu-Sarasvati” in NCERT textbooks is based on scholarship

NCERT's new Class 6 textbook includes "Sindhu-Sarasvati" for the Harappan Civilization, defended as factual by archaeologist Michel Danino, not driven by political ideology.

on Aug 21, 2024

An NCERT social science panel head, Michel Danino, has defended the changes made in the new Class 6 social science textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, amid controversy over the use of alternative names “Sindhu Sarasvati” and Indus-Sarasvati” for the Harappan Civilisation. Critics claim that such alternative names reflect the government’s “Hindutva agenda.”

Michel Danino defended using alternative names for the Harappan Civilization in the textbook. He stated that “the decision to include alternative names like ‘Sindhu-Sarasvati’ and ‘Indus-Sarasvati’ for the Harappan civilization is neither new nor driven by any political agenda.

Archaeologists, such as Professor Jonathan Mark Kenoyer of Wisconsin University, British archaeologist Jane McIntosh, the late Raymond Allchin, and French archaeologist Jean-Marie Casal, have used these terms in their work. Jean-Marie Casal, the French archaeologist, also speaks of the Sarasvati River in the context of the Harappan civilization.” He also mentioned that Gregory Possehl, the late American archaeologist, dedicated several chapters to the Sarasvati River in his book ‘The Indus Age.’

Danino highlighted that the textbook's inclusion of alternative terminology is based on established archaeological scholarship and is not influenced by contemporary political influence. The visiting professor at IIT Gandhinagar said, “It is not a Hindutva thing and is not related to any kind of political ideology. To me, this is factual.”

Furthermore, Danino described the inclusion of alternative terminology as a “good first step,” indicating that more such steps may be taken in the future.

It was reported in July of this year that the new NCERT Class 6 Social Science textbook underwent specific changes, including references to the Harappan Civilisation as the "Sindhu-Saraswati" and "Indus-Saraswati" civilization. The new textbook covers all relevant subjects within the fold of Social Science, whereas earlier, there were separate textbooks for History, Political Science, and Geography.

The latest textbook has been categorized into five sections: ‘India and the World: Land and People’, ‘Tapestry of the Past',’ Governance and Democracy’, ‘Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions’, and ‘Economic Life Around Us.’

Last year, researchers from Deccan College Pune and the Central Archeological Survey of India (ASI) unearthed human remains at an ancient site of Rakhigarhi (a village in the Hisar district of Haryana), dating back roughly 8,000 years.

During the excavation, a large settlement of the largest ancient houses ever found underground was discovered. It included a courtyard and a drainage system, as well as two to six-bedroom houses. The research team also found evidence of the clothing fashion of the people of that time, including a colourful piece of cloth, a shawl and a skirt.

The clothing fashion of the people of that time is also known. The research team found a colourful and worn piece of cloth, a shawl and a skirt.

Deccan College Pune assistant professor Pabodh Shirwalkar stated that this research provides strong evidence that the Harappan civilization is 7,000 to 8,000 years old. The scientists involved in the project agreed that human habitation or civilization existed in India 8,000 years ago. And the people at that time were as advanced as present-day societies.