A raft of changes that the NCERT has undertaken in text books for classes 6 to 10 as part of a revision exercise, its first since 2007, has resulted in greater importance being accorded to the deeds of nationalist icons like Swami Vivekananda, Lala Lajpat Rai, spiritual leader Sri Aurobindo, Vallabhbhai Patel, Peshwa Bajirao and Maratha general Bajirao Ballal, fearless Rajput king Maharana Pratap, Maratha icon Chhatrapati Shivaji and Jat king Suraj Mal in History text books, according to the Indian Express report. According to IE analysis, the revision is more prominent in the case of Aurobindo Ghose and Swami Vivekananda.

The review by NCERT — an autonomous organisation that advises the HRD Ministry on school education — and subsequent changes in the text books follow repeated calls by the BJP and the RSS for more focus on the country’s ancient past in school curriculum. Shiv Sena and the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti had earlier criticised the Class 7 history book for providing virtually no “information” on Shivaji and Maharana Pratap. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said that Maharana Pratap did not get the recognition he should have, The Indian Express reported.

Here are key changes NCERT has undertaken:

The History text book for class 8 has come up with an introduction for Sri Aurobindo and his thoughts on the goals of national education along with his photograph. “In a speech delivered on January 15, 1908 in Bombay, Aurobindo Ghose stated that the goal of national education was to awaken the spirit of nationality among the students. This required a contemplation of the heroic deeds of our ancestors… Aurobindo Ghose emphasised that although the students should remain connected to their own roots, they should also take the fullest advantage of modern scientific discoveries and Western experiments in popular governments,” the textbook states.

In the same book, the previous version had a brief para of just over 20 words to mention Ramakrishna Mission and Swami Vivekananda. However, the revised book carries another 250 words on the monk. The new paragraph quotes the New York Herald’s report on Vivekananda’s speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago extensively.

NCERT has also inserted the names of notable freedom fighters Chandra Shekhar Azad, Sukhdev and Rajguru in the section in Chapter 11 of Our Past-III, Part II that vividly talks about Bhagat Singh. The previous version of the textbook read, “Revolutionary nationalists such as Bhagat Singh and his comrades wanted to fight colonial rule and the rich exploiting classes through a revolution of workers and peasants.” The revised version replaces the words “and his comrades” with the names of Chandra Shekhar Azad and Sukhdev. Earlier, the textbook only spoke of Singh’s execution. It now mentions that Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged along with him.

Apart from these changes, Chapter 10 of the Class 7 History textbook has introduced Suraj Mal (under the section titled ‘The Jats’) as the king under whom “the power of Jats reached its zenith”. In addition to the existing text on Shivaji in chapters 3 and 10 of Our Past-II, chapter 10 (under the section on Maratha rulers) now carries an additional 100 words on the Maratha ruler, his guerrilla warfare tactics and how he embarked on a career of conquest at a young age, and, subsequently, laid the foundation of a strong empire. A portrait of Shivaji has also been introduced in this chapter.

The revised version has also given more stress to Peshwa Baji Rao I as a great general known for “his military campaign against Malwa, Bundelkhand, Gujarat and the Portuguese”. The section credits him with expanding the kingdom beyond the Vindhyas.

The history text book for Maharana Pratap has introduced Maharana Pratap in the section titled ‘The Watan Jagirs of the Rajputs’. This section is on the influential Rajput kings, especially those from Amber and Jodhpur, who served under the Mughals and in exchange “were permitted to enjoy considerable autonomy in their watan jagirs”. Here, Maharana Pratap of Mewar has been introduced as an exception, who did not give in to Mughal authority. “A series of envoys were sent to the Rana to persuade him to accept Mughal suzerainty, but he stood his ground,” it states.