Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Sunil Ambekar said that history textbooks have undergone “many positive changes,” including the removal of the epithet “the great” for Mughal emperor Akbar and Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan.
Speaking at the Orange City Literature Festival in Nagpur, organised by the SGR Knowledge Foundation, Ambekar said the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had introduced these revisions but emphasised that “nobody has been removed” from the books because the new generation “should know their cruel deeds.”
Ambekar, the Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of the RSS, said India’s ancient knowledge traditions offer rich resources that can benefit society. “This rich knowledge can be given to the world as well, but for that we also need to focus on that knowledge,” he said.
He noted that NCERT has updated textbooks for 11 of 15 classes and that changes for Classes 9, 10 and 12 will be implemented next year. “I could see that many good changes have been brought in the history books, and more could be done in the future,” he said.
“But now, they do not have ‘Akbar the Great’ nor do they have ‘Tipu Sultan the Great’.”
Ambekar added that some object to such revisions, but “this cannot happen and it should be told.”
Ambekar also talked about Nalanda University and said that people think that only Ved Puran, Ramayana and Mahabharata were taught there.
"But if you go through the syllabus of Nalanda University, you will get to know what was taught there. It is a very old university," he said.
Along with literature, 76 types of skill-based courses were also taught in Nalanda University, which were taught to all and these skills included farming, urban planning, make-up, secret agent, political governance, mechanisation and several others, Ambekar said.
According to the RSS leader, India is prospering and we should think about what our future society should be like.
People across the world kept compromising on their civilisation and culture in the process of development, and surrendered to the markets and new technologies. Although it brought facilities, it came at the cost of personal and family life, our values and relations, he added.
Talking about Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said some people think why RSS put all its strength for the construction of this temple.
"I would say it was not just about building the temple...It was built, but we should think about our relation with Lord Ram along with the temple. What is our relationship with the culture of Lord Ram, what is the meaning of the culture of Ram and what relationship does it have with the culture of our country and our future life. It was a campaign to make people understand all this and it was done very nicely and I think now the youth are keeping self respect about the dharma," he said.
Ambekar praised the country's youth, saying the new generation is very able and has all the exposure.
They are very patriotic and patriotism is a cool thing for them, he said.