On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, the National Council of Educational Research and Training released a new Social Science textbook for ninth‑grade students. The edition removes chapters on European revolutions and instead prioritises India’s medieval history, regional resistance movements and the impact of successive foreign invasions.
The textbook, titled Understanding Society: India and Beyond – Part Two, replaces the earlier edition’s sections on the French and Russian revolutions with a detailed exploration of Indian sovereignty and resilience. It argues that from the seventh century onward the subcontinent faced successive phases of invasions driven by territorial expansion and religious motives.
A chapter titled “Resistance and Resilience” examines the relationship between the Mughal state and the Sikh Gurus. It cites the execution of Guru Arjan Dev, the detention of Guru Hargobind under Emperor Jahangir, and the execution of Guru Tegh Bahadur under Emperor Aurangzeb, arguing that such persecution pushed the Sikhs toward collective armed resistance, culminating in the establishment of the Akal Takht and the rise of Sikh military confederacies.
The revised book also dedicates a section to regional kingdoms and communities that defended their sovereignty. It highlights the Jats of the Ganga‑Yamuna Doab, who rebelled in 1669, and attributes the uprising to economic exploitation, heavy Mughal taxation and resentment of Aurangzeb’s religious policies. The text also credits the Yadava, Kakatiya and Hoysala kingdoms with leading resistance, stressing that the era of invasion is characterised by both conflict and cooperation, rather than solely subjugation.
