Maharashtra Board slashes chapters on Mughals from History textbooks

Maharashtra Board has revised class 7 and 9 history syllabus, only to cut short the chapters dealing with Mughals and Western history . The motive, as per reports, is to present the history from the perspective of Maharashtra.

The revised syllabus of Maharashtra Board revolves around king Shivaji Maharaj and the Maratha empire.

New Delhi: In a new syllabus issued by Maharashtra State Board, chapters on Mughals have been omitted from the history textbooks of class 7 and 9. Not only this, the chapters on dynasties like Cholas, Rajputs, the Vijayanagar kingdom and that of the western countries have also been cut short. With added emphasis on the Maratha kingdom, events after independence have been included in the syllabus. According to reports, the tailoring was done with an aim to create space for important events that happened after independence and to present a Maharashtra-centric view of history to the students. The five chapters that dealt with the rise and fall of major Indian dynasties have reportedly been clubbed together to form one single chapter - India before the times of Shivaji Maharaj. It is also being reported that the post independence chapters also include Bofors scam and Emergency of 1975-1977. Another chapter dealing with Mughal architecture has also been slashed. Similarly, those dealing with French revolution and American war of independence have been either omitted or reduced. It all comes down to presenting Shivaji Maharaj and Maratha empire as the focal point of Indian history. According to the note for teachers in the new textbook, even though Maharashtra is a part of the Republic of India, if the students study history from the perspective of Maharashtra, they will understand the position role and contribution of Maharashtra in the History of India and the students shall develop a more mature national feeling.