CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: NCERT Class 9 textbook includes Sengol, history linked to Chola era
New Delhi. The National Council of Educational Research and Training, or NCERT, has included the Sengol in its new Class 9 social science textbook. In the book titled “Understanding Society – India and Beyond, Part 2”, the Sengol has been described as a cultural symbol linked to governance and good governance.
In the chapter related to governance and public policy, the textbook connects the tradition of the Sengol with the period of the Chola dynasty. According to the book, the tradition of using the Sengol as a symbol of righteous governance is considered to be more than 1,000 years old. In 2023, during the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the Sengol was installed near the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair.
The book also links the Sengol with India’s Independence in 1947 and the transfer of power. It mentions that on the occasion of Independence, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru was given the Sengol by saints associated with Tamil Nadu’s Adheenam tradition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also described the Sengol in 2023 as a symbol of the transfer of power.
However, the Congress has continued to question the claim that the Sengol was linked to the transfer of power in 1947. The party says there is no documentary evidence available to show that Lord Mountbatten, C. Rajagopalachari and Jawaharlal Nehru described it as a symbol of the transfer of power. On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture describes the Sengol as a sceptre linked to the spiritual and cultural traditions of ancient Tamil civilisation.
Apart from the Sengol, the new textbook also explains traditional ideas such as “Satyameva Jayate”, “Rajdharma” and “Yato Dharmastato Jayah” in the context of the system of governance and good governance.
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