New NCERT social science chapter on colonial rule skips Tipu Sultan, Anglo-Mysore wars
New Delhi: The recently released NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbook has stirred controversy for reportedly omitting events from India’s colonial period and key historical figures, including Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, and the four Anglo-Mysore Wars of 1700s, which once featured prominently in earlier editions.
The updated textbook, titled ‘Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1)’, focuses on the narrative of colonialism from the late 1400s, beginning with Vasco da Gama, to the late 1800s. It highlights how British colonialism drained India’s wealth, disrupted traditional life, and mentions events such as the Battle of Plassey (1757) and the 1857 rebellion.
While uprisings such as the Sannyasi-Fakir rebellion, the Kol uprising, and the Santhal rebellion are included, the new edition omits Tipu Sultan, Haidar Ali, and the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. These figures, once highlighted as major opponents of British expansion, are reportedly no longer part of the revised colonial narrative.
Michel Danino, chair of the NCERT textbook development group, asserted that the current Class 8 textbook aims to give an overview rather than exhaustive detail. When asked whether Tipu Sultan or the Anglo-Mysore Wars might appear in Part 2 of the textbook, Danino responded, “Probably not,” adding that those chapters are still in development.
The textbook further introduces a section on the plunder of India’s cultural wealth, including statues, manuscripts, jewels, and artefacts, much of which ended up in European museums and private collections. This appropriation is referred to as “massive theft” carried out across colonised nations.
It also challenges the narrative that British infrastructure such as railways and telegraphs were gifts to India, stating these projects were mostly funded by Indian taxpayers and primarily served British strategic and commercial interests.
Part 1 of the new textbook has been released for the current academic session, with Part 2 expected later this year.
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Unidentified men set fire to TVK campaign office near Srirangam
Tiruchirapalli (PTI): A campaign office of the actor Vijay-led TVK was allegedly torched by unidentified miscreants in Kamanayakkanpalayam village near Srirangam in the early hours of Friday, police said.
According to the police, the damage is minimal. Fire had engulfed the thatched roof providing shade at the entrance of the building that served as the party’s election office for the Srirangam constituency.
While on social media, a CCTV footage of two unidentified men fleeing on motorbike is being circulated as the culprits, police said the video footage is yet to be verified.
Based on a complaint lodged by TVK, the Pettaivaithalai Police have registered a case and initiated a search for the perpetrators.
திருவரங்கம் தொகுதியில் த.வெ.க வேட்பாளரின் தேர்தல் அலுவலகம் மர்ம நபர்களால் தீவைக்கப்பட்டு சேதப்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. @TNelectionsCEO @ECISVEEP#TVKVijay #தமிழகவெற்றிக்கழகம் pic.twitter.com/ImDZfTkuAq
— Thanjavur_District_Head (TVK) (@TVK_Thanjai) May 1, 2026
