New Class VII NCERT book spotlights traditional farming systems, regional dynasties

In a first, the Class VII NCERT social science book, released last week, highlights the agricultural heritage systems in Kashmir, Odisha and Kerala and a great emphasis has been laid on the Southern and Eastern dynasties and their contributions towards education and culture.

In Part 2 of the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s “Exploring Society: India and Beyond”, the first chapter — The Story of Indian Farming — talks about sustainable agricultural practices inspired by Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS).

It talks about the three globally significant agricultural heritage systems in India recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) that include the farming of saffron in Kashmir, the traditional agricultural systems of Odisha that integrate forest management and the below-sea-level agricultural methods in Kerala, which includes crop plantation and fishing.

The Koraput region in Odisha is renowned for its paddy cultivation, predominantly on highland slopes and it harbours rich genetic resources of medicinal plants. The Kuttanad system in Kerala stands out as a unique below-sea-level farming landscape, comprising wetlands for paddy cultivation and fish catching. Meanwhile, the saffron park of Kashmir represents a rich agro-pastoral system characterised by traditional saffron cultivation, intercropping and the use of organic farming practices, all of which contribute to maintaining local biodiversity and soil health.

While the chapter lauds Green Revolution in 1960s and 70s for helping India achieve self-sufficiency in food, it has also pointed out the long-term consequences of using pesticides, thereby leading to contamination of soil and water.

In one of the chapters — Empires and Kingdoms: 6th to 10th Centuries — there is a discussion on Pândya, Chola and Chera kingdoms in the South, and Palas in Bengal and Bihar, who founded Vikramashila and Somapura universities.

The book acknowledges that the most significant cultural interactions were perhaps in the field of science, since, especially in the ninth century, Sanskrit texts on mathematics, astronomy and medicine were translated into Arabic, notably in Baghdad.

“Among many other things, the Arabs adopted India’s decimal numeral system with the zero, along with the Indian numerals. Their mathematicians acknowledged the Indian origin of this revolutionary numeral system, but once transmitted to Europe by the Arabs, these numerals became known as ‘Arabic numerals’. Nowadays, several dictionaries add the term ‘Hindu-Arabic numerals’,’ the book says.

A chapter on India’s neighbour in NCERT’s new Class 7 Social Science book notes that Pakistan Army-backed terror attacks have disrupted normal relations between India and Pakistan.

“Since the Partition, several military conflicts and wars, including wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971, and full-scale conflicts like the Kargil War in 1999, have defined an ongoing tension. In particular, frequent terrorist attacks launched against India with the support of the Pakistan army have prevented normal relations between the two countries,” the chapter says.