The newly released NCERT Class 9 social science textbook, “Understanding Society and Beyond – Part 2,” contains a passage that discusses the Sengol, a sceptre traditionally associated with Tamil monarchs. The text states that the Sengol was presented to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at midnight on 15 August 1947 by the Adheenam saints of Tamil Nadu, and that it was later placed in the newly inaugurated Parliament building in 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
These claims are contested by scholars. Historian Rajmohan Gandhi, speaking at the inauguration of the new Parliament, noted that there is no record of the Sengol being used as a formal symbol of the transfer of power in Nehru’s personal papers, letters, or autobiographies. Historian Aditya Mukherjee has also criticised the 2023 ceremony, arguing that it was an exercise in political self‑glorification rather than a celebration of parliamentary democracy.
The textbook further links India’s national motto, “Satyameva Jayate,” to the Mundaka Upanishad, replacing the British‑era phrase “Heaven’s Light, Our Guide.” It also associates the Supreme Court’s post‑independence motto, “Yato Dharmastato Jayah,” with the Mahabharata, and connects Mahatma Gandhi’s reference to Ram Rajya with the Ramayana and the 16th‑century work Ramcharitmanas. These connections are presented as facts in the book but are not corroborated by independent historical evidence.
Overall, the textbook’s portrayal of the Sengol and its symbolic significance is disputed by experts, and the links it draws between national mottos, ancient texts, and contemporary symbols remain unverified according to the available scholarly consensus.
