Actor R Madhavan has joined the debate over historical representation in school syllabi, specifically the NCERT's reported decision to remove sections on Mughals and Delhi Sultanate from Class 7 books. He questioned why earlier history curriculums didn't adequately cover Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Also read: NCERT drops all portions on Mughals, Delhi Sultanate from Class 7 books, adds Maha Kumbh

Madhavan opines

In an interview with News18, Madhavan spoke about the ongoing stir around the change in NCERT class 7 books.

Madhavan said, “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 civilisations, four on British rule and the freedom struggle, and just one chapter on the southern kingdoms — the Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, and Cheras. 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 reached. And we encapsulated all of this in just one chapter".

Madhavan mentioned during the conversation that he believes the Mughal dynasty's coverage in school history textbooks was disproportionately large previously.

The actor said, “Whose narrative is this? Who decided the syllabus? Tamil is the oldest language in the world, but nobody knows about it. The scientific knowledge hidden in our culture is being mocked right now."

According to him, his latest film Kesari Chapter 2 is a step towards changing the narrative. He emphasised that if they're correcting historical narratives, they shouldn't be criticised for taking small creative liberties, but rather held accountable if the outcome deviates from historical truth.

What do we know about the NCERT row?

The NCERT has reportedly dropped all references to the Mughals and Delhi Sultanate from its Class 7 school textbooks in its latest revision and added a chapter on dynasties that reflect ‘Indian ethos’, references to the Maha Kumbh and flagship union government initiatives. The changes are reportedly in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, which stresses on incorporating Indian traditions, philosophies, knowledge systems, and local context into school education.

While a detailed account of dynasties like Tughlaqs, Khaljis, Mamluks, and Lodis and a two-page table on Mughal emperors' achievements were ‘trimmed’ during its ‘syllabus rationalisation’ exercise during the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the first time that all contents related to Mughals and Delhi Sultanate have been removed completely, as reported by PTI news agency.

Madhavan’s latest project

Madhavan was most recently seen in Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, which is a historical courtroom drama produced by Dharma Productions, Leo Media Collective, and Cape of Good Films. The film stars Akshay Kumar as Advocate C. Sankaran Nair, who challenged the British Empire to uncover the truth behind the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. Kesari Chapter 2 is a spiritual sequel to Akshay’s 2019 hit film Kesari.

Madhavan portrays Advocate Neville McKinley, Ananya Panday plays Dilreet Gill, Regina Cassandra essays the role of Parvathy Nair (Sankaran’s wife), and Simon Paisley Day stars as General Reginald Dyer. The film opened to a positive response from audiences and critics.

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