NCERT Class 7 books focus on Indian culture, history, and traditions

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has brought out fresh textbooks for Class 7, with the vision provided by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The purpose is to establish the link between education and the traditions, history, and knowledge of India. Making students of these classes aware is the priority.

The Poorvi English textbook now features stories, poems, and essays by Indian authors on Indian topics.

Nine out of 15 pieces are connected to India. Works of Rabindranath Tagore, APJ Abdul Kalam, and Ruskin Bond are featured. Arunima Sinha, the National War Memorial, and Queen Rani Abbakka are also topics that students will read about.

The previous book, Honeycomb, contained 17 stories out of which four were written by Indian authors. This new selection offers greater space to Indians.

In Social Science, the textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond unifies



history, geography, and civics within one book. It includes a chapter titled How the Land Becomes Sacred, where it describes how rivers, forests, hills, and other sites acquired reverence through beliefs and pilgrimages.

It discusses sacred places of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. It also talks about Greek and New Zealand traditions.

The book talks about occurrences such as the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, the travels to Char Dhams, Jyotirlingas, and Shakti Pithas, and the notion of holy geography in the country.

It also describes early kingdoms such as the janapadas, ancient empires such as the Mauryas and Guptas, and the formation of India's Constitution.

This shift is a part of NCERT's broader strategy to revise textbooks for Classes 1 to 8. The emphasis is on developing a learning that honours Indian origins without forgetting the world outside.