Actor R Madhavan has ignited a debate on the representation of Indian history in school textbooks, questioning the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) for its heavy focus on the Mughal Empire. In an interview with News18, Madhavan criticized the marginalization of southern dynasties like the Cholas. He stated, “I might get into trouble for saying this, but I’ll still say it. When I studied history in school, there were eight chapters on the Mughals, two on the Harappa and Mohenjo-daro civilizations, four on British rule and the freedom struggle, and just one chapter on the southern kingdoms — the Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, and Cheras.”
R Madhavan Highlights the Chola Legacy
Madhavan underscored the Chola Empire’s 2,400-year legacy, emphasizing its global influence. He remarked, “The British and the Mughals ruled us for close to 800 years, but the Chola Empire is 2,400 years old. They were pioneers of sea travel and naval power. They had spice routes that extended to Rome. Where’s that part of our history? Where’s the mention of us building temples all the way to Angkor Wat with our mighty naval forces? Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism spread to China. People in Korea speak half Tamil because that’s how far our language has reached. And we encapsulated all of this in just one chapter.”
His comments come amid NCERT’s decision to remove all references to the Mughal Empire and Delhi Sultanate from Class 7 history textbooks, replacing them with content on government initiatives and sacred geography. The NCERT’s recent syllabus changes, aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, have stirred both praise and backlash.
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