NCERT history books edited

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saurabhsaharan

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Ram Ram,

I recently came across the changes made by NCERT is history school books.
Portions that were deemed derogatory to the Jat community were deleted.
In addition derogatory remarks about Guru Teg Bahadur, Mahavir and statements
that cow meat was consumed during Rig Veda period have also been deleted.

The portion relating to Jats was present in the Class VIII history book
"Modern India" in the chapter 'India in the Eighteenth Century'. The following
paragraph has now been deleted:

"...Another power that arose in this period in the region around Delhi, Agra
and Mathura was that of the Jats. They founded their State at Bharatpur wherefrom
they conducted plundering raids in the regions around and participated in the
court intrigues at Delhi..."

For a complete list of history books changes, go to:
http://www.ncert.nic.in/ncert/histdebate/histindex.htm

Saurabh Saharan
 
In my opinion, instead of deleting they should have corrected the derogatory language used in the paragraph. By deleting the whole paragraph they deleted the mentioning of Jats power in that phase of history. Now the new reader will not know about the powerfull Jat empire(s) existing around that time.
 
Dear Saharan

I appreciate your kind attention towards Jat Community. Such type of history has been written by left minded people to destroy our trust with our community and culture for future genration.

Hope you will keep it up.

Best Regards
S.S.Punia
 
Lets get together and atleast fight for same. This way, coming generations will never be able to know who we are / were. Even today how much of us know our past. Never studied !!! Never heard!!! Some JATs of this generation is already struggling to gather knowledge about our past. This is what we leaving behind for coming generation ??????.

“The warriors” “ The JATS” later will extinguish from vocab’s of history of India. People will start comparing us to chamars and rest (Don’t mind these are the names who doesn’t have history relevance).

Even today some of us has spend time to explain difference between and jatav and “JAT” (The JAT). Absences of word JAT in later years will merge us with jatav. I pity on myself.

Request if any one is a good lawyer here on this site. Think about it. Can we appeal ?????. Lets get together and struggle. I am ready to shell out some money to start this to protect my proud head and our collars of being a JAT.

Regards
Dhinendra Lohmor
 
Friends,

I agree with Rajesh that instead of deleting the reference to Jats altogether, they should have rephrased the paragraph and omitted the word "plunderers". The fact that Jats were referred to as plunderers was wrong and thats what they were trying to correct.

The reason they completely deleted the controversial paragraph was because they did not want to have another controversy of "doctoring history" if they attempted to modify the language that another historian wrote.

I agree with Mr. Punia that these history text books have been written by leftist historians.

This is how HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi justified the changes:
"Certain complaints were received from Jains, Sikhs and Jats and other communities that there are certain passages in NCERT textbooks that are not in religious tenets and are not even facts of history....The reason is that you are dealing with impressionable young minds. The students of class one are young and you are teaching them things that are highly controversial. That creates a bias in their minds. If a child is told, in the books, that Jats were looteras [robbers], how will he like a Jat classmate after that, he will have certain reservations. If a normal Hindu family believes that eating beef is wrong and you teach that this was done [many centuries ago], when actually this is a matter of debate. This will create a conflict in the mind of a small child. If there are some unpalatable historical facts, let children learn them when they are mature. Anything that creates a bias, hatred or suspicion should not be there."

The Left and the Congress ofcourse are opposing it and calling it the "Talibanization of education".

Saurabh Saharan
 
I think that this NCERT issue has been unnecessarily blown out of proportion by the media, politicians having vested interests and unfortunately by Intellectual lobby also.
As an Indian & broadminded individual, we should provide space for every kind of thought, belief & perception. It all depends on in which light we see things.
I gone through some of the messages by learned members on this forum and found that we are proving AMONG ourselves that we are Brave, belongs to warrior class not Chamars (though he is also an human being), different from Jatavs and so on so forth. But does not this prove that we still are not confident with our identity.
Why to prove what we are? We are what we are...simple as it is. What to prove and to WHOM?
 
Tushankur,

I agree that your argument is a valid one in an ideal world. But unfortunately we do not live in an ideal world. The very fact that school students were being taught that Jats were plunderers shows that.

We cannot ignore the fact that there is a deliberate attempt to undermine the identity and heritage of Jats. Jats are confident about their identity, but at the same time we need to make sure that our future generations are also as confident. The new breed of Jats should not forget their history and identity. So we need to constantly remind them (and ourselves) of who we are and where we come from. I think writing books about Jat history, like Dharampal Ji is doing, is a great way to keep the flame alive.

Its not that we need to constantly prove that we are brave and different, but if someone tries to portray Jats in the wrong way, we cannot remain silent.

Saurabh Saharan
 
Could not agree more with you regarding some one trying to spoil our image. The fact remains that no one can spoil your image but yourself. There fore if any one can do any real long term harm to Jats are Jats themselves. Every day We read news about some prominent Jats which are less than flattering. Talk all you can but you can not stop others from talking about you.(you here is meant for Jats in general and not an individual - pardon my limited vocabulary). Instead of trying to shut up others from talking bad about us our focus should be on keeping our noses clean and project a decent image.
Do you know when does a person start self praise, it is when no one else will praise him . That is a pitiful state to be in and shows craving for recognition. Modesty is still in fashion and We can only motivate young people by setting good examples. Don't try to brainwash them because that is going to do them more harm than good. There is no greater strength than truth and no greater weakness than a lie. Whether history is a truth or lie is less important than what an individual's life is. Forget about books and instill truthfulness and honesty in children so that they can judge for themselves what the truth is.
Give them capacity to listen rather than speak because when every one speaks no one listens. Life is wonderful and teach them to enjoy it in a positive environment which they have to create themselves. Always see the glass half full and you will be happy, see the glass half empty and you shall be miserable - guaranteed.

Teach them right attitude towards life and teach them how to see the brighter side even in the darkest hour (it is not easy but possible)and things like books, reports etc will all fall in their respective places. In order to teach some one you have to develop that attitude for yourself. Once that is achieved every thing is automatic and your sincerety will shine through.

If you want to control some thing let it be your temper.

If you want to destroy some thing let it be your ignorance.

Good luck!
 
Sorry folks.... Here are my ten cents!

Before a child gets to read a history book, he/she has already learned the most important lessons of life, including, that of one's origin! If we, as responsible individuals fail to impart this knowledge, what good can a book do? Children learn first hand from parents!

Yet again, if one must empower them thorugh the pages of history books, one must remember - action speaks louder than words.

Sujata
 
Can i please express my views also.!

I'm kind of confused about what we are debating about. Is is about whether the derogatory contents should be: 1. removed 2. rectified , or 3. ignore ?? If someone is trying to say that deletion was better than rectification they please justify it with sense of practicality/reality, rather than framing philosophical arguments.
Another point here seems to going on is about what kind of reaction is proper to such misrepresentation of Jats in history books. If someone is suggesting that we should ignore them( with false sense of belief that if one is good no one can tarnish ones image). Well, lets recoganise the power of media and literature which has always been shaping contemporary/past image of every community/country. Best example of how good people can be projected as show spoilers or bad is our own real example of Jats image - historical as well as contemporary. Jats have always been used and exploited throughout history and constantly projected in false/inappropriate terms( The history book example is one of them)and thus creating Jat phobia. I agree that to a certain extent one himself is responsible for one's image, but thats not the whole of it. If someone, with very cunny mindset, is bent upon spoiling one's image, he/she can definitely tarnish the public image of the one using media and literature.
Or is someone trying to say that instead of fighting for rectification we should teach our children that whatever is mentioned in the history book is not correct; what i tell you now is correct. Well can one think about implications of such an approch? May be you can satisfy your kid but about rest of the world who is reading the same history books? And after that how much the kid will believe in contents of books taught in the schools.
And on top of that what the hell make one keep silent or ignore some derogatory comments about your forefathers? its symbol of cowardice, and Jats are NOT that.
Lets deal with world the way it is. Our children need not only ability to listen but to speak also - to speak/defend for justice and truth. Gone are the ages when truth used to prevail by itself. In todays world truth needs to be defended(by all means) to make it prevail. Wake up you Jats and be more wise and practical!
-cheers!
-Rajesh Sindhu
 
Thanks Rajesh for your two pennies. In the modern World kids are smarter than we give them credit for. What I have been trying to tell in the earlier post was that instead of trying to teach our kids how great your forefathers have been probably it would be more effective if we set real example of being a good citizen and inspire them by examples of great people who may or may not be Jats. Don't try to make them frogs of the wells instead give them positive values. As far as history books are concerned surely no one believes every thing one reads or watches on the news. Thanks to the modern age journalism it has really made people sceptical about what they hear or read. Life is full of contradiction and dualism let us not get worked up about what our neighbours will think. If We do the right things neighbours can think what they like and We should not be paranoid about it. As far as children are concerened I think policy takes precedence over procedures. Give them policy of honesty, truthfulness and respect for all human beings rather than trying to project them as unique super humans. They can make their own procedures and live by them. By teaching kids them and us we are kind of feeding the same phobia you have been talking above. It is difficult for a child to understand the complexities of human behaviour and he pays a lot of attention to what he hears from parents, teacher and friends. In this day and age only one group among three i.e. parents could possibly be Jat (proud or not) but others could well be from a different culture and back ground with complete ignorance of Jat history thus will not necessarily reinforce what parents teach about his/her ancestry. As a result he/she will feel alienated from rest of the group because he is walking around with ego larger than himself (the weakest link of Jat character I think) and miss out on the opportunity to establish real friendship and sustainable self image which will be reinforced by all groups of his contact. Before being a Jat be a good human being whom every one can love and if you are that you will get enough feed back to support your self esteem. Correct the books by all means if you can but not at the cost of truth. I am not a historian and can not say which was true. Like all human beings Jats are not infallible too. There is a saying " Some one who keeps throwing his weight around has very little left in the end ". Therefore my advice would be conservatism and not over reaction which seems to be happening here. I could be wrong but will keep an open mind for sincere criticism. One must keep an open mind to learn new things at any age. No one is above or beyond learning provided he keeps an open mind. Jats are quite open minded and good natured that is why people admire them.

Give the World some thing to admire and if jealousy kicks in it is understandable and only natural. That is not your problem. Be the best you can be and ignore the half empty glass.
That is in the simplest Jat philosophy I can put. It is as original as it can be. Good luck!
 
I still buy views of Shubha Chand & Sujata. Rajesh put up an actual present world practicality before us. He proved effectively that we should stand together against these remarks in NCERT books. I go with him that we were ignoring these remarks till now & should get it rectified. But that alone is not the end of the road.
The higher truth is - a child need not to know about his forefathers through History books. And whatever be the social image built around JATS - WE are responsible for that.
We need education even though history books have these offensive remarks...it hardly makes a difference.
 
Let me try again...

If we bring up our children as model citizens first, we will have uplifted the Jat community. History will take care of itself!

Sujata
 
Thanks Sujata and Tushankar for the support. It is heartening to note that there are Jats out there who support old fashioned ideology. Truth never goes out of fashion it always prevails in the end. Satya mev Jayate ! If I were to teach only one thing to my children or any one's children that will be it. At times truth can be harsh but untruth or partial truths are slow poisons which kill selfrespect and self confidence. Ultimate aim of our birth is freedom from all bondages including the cycle of birth and death. Which can be obtained through action,knowledge or devotion none of which will support adulterated truth. First you have to be convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that what you believe is truth only and not some fabrication then do all you can to support it. It is as simple as that and the same should be applied for text books or any other historical fact. Let the truth speak. Have the courage to face the truth that is what Jat parents have taught their children for ages. But if modern education or culture teaches something contrary to it I would call it our misfortune. God help us all and save us from our follies.

Good luck to all.
 
I think we are getting too philosophical here and losing out the relevance of the topic of discussion.

We are all saying the right things. We must look at the glass as half full. Parents have the biggest impact on what a child learns, blah, blah, blah. All that is great and ideal.

But look at the reality and the reality here is that Jats were portrayed as "plunderers" in a school book. Even if it is a historical fact, we shouldn't let children being taught that.
Whether the children are Jats or non-Jats, it is still wrong. Imagine a Jat kid going to school and other kids mocking him for his forefathers were "plunderers". Now those of you who talk idealistically would argue that it doesn't matter what other kids say as long as the Jat kid knows the truth, but you are not being practical here.

Why should we ignore what is being taught in schools across the nation if it is wrong?
If it is wrong, it should be rectified. Ignoring it would make it right.

Saurabh Saharan
 
Dear Saurabh,
Don't get the wrong impression from these philosophies. You have my full support in getting any derogatory comments about Jats removed from text books. The purpose of earlier writing was to attract attention to issues which are believed to be even more urgent. It goes without saying that young minds should receive a positive picture as far as practical. In this case it is quite practical to have the book corrected (provided it is acceptable to concerned authorities). Don't just rest on laurels and continue with reforms right up to the home front which is very important too.
 
Thanks a lot respected members, for your sincere responses, though i'm not sure how many of them are relevant to the topic of the discussion here.
Perhaps everyone is preached this so called 'phylosophy of life' since childhood, but i never found it in real world. Does this philosophy has answer to :
1. Why Jats, being good since ages, have never been appreciated by the ones who owned pen and paper?
2. Why even today when a Jat goes( how much he suffers to reach there is another story) to some high administrative post eyebrows are raised in the whole department?
3. Why there was/is/will caste system in India? Why is intitutionalisation of castism gaining ground everyday?
4. Why are there caste based lobbies in top most administrative departments( i don't want to name them here, those interested can conatct me personally) which try, and pretty successfully, there best to make sure that their own caste people get selected, despite other more deserving and truthful and honest candidates?
5. Why many of our brehterns in India are not getting jobs, despite being more competant and academically more brilliant than those who got jobs ,aginst the same vacancy?
I can name 100s of such examples; and all this is also "truth".
Name any one singe activity/event happening in India which can be justified or proved through the theory of phylosophical preachings mentioned by some respected members. And i can name tons of events/activities happening there where if any of the paricipants starts following these nice-to-read principles will be kicked out as an impractical/stupid/failed person.

Its really a matter of thought - what is practical definition of "truth"? "Truth" is what one believes in. More that 99% people of the world do not leave their houses to figure out whether contents of the history books are true or not. They just believe in whatever is there in the literature and for them thats is the truth. And please don't try to say me that "it doesn't matter".
Definitely, actions speak louder than words. But is today's history speaking truth about our forefathers' actions?? Actions of past speak through the words of history, and actions of today will speak to next generations through history books which were/are written(atleast about our community) with biased mindset; then can anyone tell me how "satya mev jyate"?
Read Indian history(atleast of last 300 years) written by foreigners(which had no bias for any cast) and that written by indian historians, and you will know glimpses of how biased are the contents of indian historians. and the whole India is making their views of history written by indian historians.
Yes, there are much more important issues, but that doesn't justify that we should ignore so called less important issue raised under this thread; and neither should more important issues be piggybacked on less important issues.
I think we are entering into endless debate( as phylosophy has no ends!), which will be more and more irrelevant to the main topic of this thread.
With best regards,
-Rajesh Sindhu
 
Rajesh,
I think that's the challenge before us - all the JATS - that these 'Philosophy of life'/Truth/Honesty/Straight Forwardedness/ must prevail in our daily socio-personal life. We should not keep them under the cover of books but imbibe & instill these idealogies in our actions.
According to my experiences - these so-called pen-paper owners are biased with us just because we are having atleast some of these idealogies in our action which they cann't digest. Everybody afraid of simple, honest, straight person and they find it very difficult to confront such unpersuasive personalities.

There may/are other reasons for their biased approach towards us...(kindly mail me as you mentioned in your reply, if you please).

As we confronted every battle for our mother land & country successfully - its a bigger challenge for us to keep these so-called unpracticle ideologies within our hearts & action to win much bigger battle - battle of existence.

I'm 100% with you & to this view that we should get this History book rectified, if we can and at the same time 100% with Shubha Chandji for upkeeping the flames of idealogies within our hearts because this is not the end - we have to start yet...and way is engrossed with darkness.
 
Thanks Rajesh and Tushankur,

I am glad that some Jats feel so strongly about injustices and are prepared to do their part in fixing the problem. There is only one word I can say about the topic it is strenth. Be strong and you will win. How you get that strength is up to you. Our forefathers got their strength from their simplicity and love for truth. But if there is any other way I will be very grateful to learn about it provided it stands up to the test of time. It is not the individual which wins or loses but the principles for which he stands. Make sure you are on the solid ground and have courage to follow through your conviction at whatever cost. Otherwise words are just words and nothing can be achieved.
There is a tall order infront of the World and has always been. Who says World is fair. It is not. Do not look for sypathisers and do not be fooled by sweet talkers. Be strong and win your own battles starting from home.

God be with you!
 
Tushankur,
I appreciate your spirited ideas. Keep it up.
But think deeply about this also:
Out forefathers followed these principles of truth,honesty and straight forwardness. They got thier strengh from these principles, as said by Subha ChandJi also. But tell this plateform what did they gain out of it? They got exploited always, they got used always, they got befooled always, they could never unite the Jat community as a single unit( though external elements were more active in not letting Jats unite, but still weekness was within the house). They are called "plunderers" even today. Tell me what kind of strengh they gained by following those ideologies? and what good was done to the Jat community by that strength?? Most of Jat community today is living in poverty and backwardness.
Sorry, i disagree with your this statement: "Everybody afraid of simple, honest, straight person and they find it very difficult to confront such unpersuasive personalities."
I think its other way. They find "simple,honest, straight person" more easy to exploit, as has always been with the Jats in past. Tell me any one person in today's indian society who is really simple,honest and straight and has achieved any strength( political/economical/social) ?
Historically people have been ruled by those who never follwed these principles( though they always preached them to others).
So my brother, its ok to keep these principles in our heart( to make us feel good and for some self satisfaction), but never bring them in actions( the mistake done by our forefathers). Speak the language understood by the other one, not the one you think is the best.
So, friend, the real challenge is not just in having these principles, but to have them and not to let them used/exploited by others. And this is the first lesson we need to learn from our past. This world is a battilefield of minds, not of muscles/hearts. Mind has always ruled over matter. But unfortunately Jats never used their mind, but muscle and heart, throughout history, and thats why contemporary Jat community is where it is.
May God bless us all with more wisdom.

-Rajesh Sindhu
 
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