NCERT adds chapters on Field Marshal Manekshaw, Brig Usman, Maj Sharma to school syllabus

Chapters on the lives and heroics of three armed forces personnel — Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Brigadier Mohammad Usman, and Major Somnath Sharma —have been introduced in the syllabus of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The Ministry of Defence said today that chapters on the lives and sacrifices of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Brigadier Mohammad Usman, and Major Somnath Sharma have been added to the NCERT syllabus in this academic year, in Class 8(Urdu), Class 7(Urdu), and Class 8(English), respectively. The newly introduced chapters aim to provide students with inspirational narratives of courage and duty.

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, India’s first officer to be conferred the rank of Field Marshal, is remembered for his exceptional leadership and strategic acumen that led to victory in the Indo-Pak conflict of 1971. Brigadier Mohammad Usman and Major Somnath Sharma, recipients of the Maha Vir Chakra and Param Vir Chakra respectively (posthumously), laid down their lives in service of the nation and remain symbols of supreme sacrifice. Brigadier Usman was overseeing the conduct of two important operations that led to the eviction of Pakistani forces from Jhangar and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir in the war with Pakistan in 1947-1948. Major Somnath Sharma captured Budgam during the same conflict. Budgam was one of the routes through which Pakistanis were marching towards Srinagar.

As part of efforts to establish National War Memorial (NWM) as a prominent national landmark, the Ministry of Defence has partnered with the Ministry of Education and NCERT to integrate the NWM and related references into the school curriculum. Through these stories and their inclusion in the curriculum, students will not only gain insights into India’s military history but also absorb important life lessons on resilience, empathy, and emotional intelligence, the MoD said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the National War Memorial to the nation on February 25, 2019. It is located in the Central Vista of India Gate, New Delhi.