New Delhi: NCERT’s new Class IX social science textbook traces India’s national motto, “Satyameva Jayate”, to the Mundaka Upanishad and the Supreme Court’s “Yato Dharmastato Jayah” to the Mahabharata, linking modern institutions to ancient texts. The lesson presents these connections as expressions of the values and responsibilities that should guide governance in a democracy.“Understanding Society: India and Beyond”, Part 2, became available on Tuesday, September 29, nearly six months into the academic session. Part 1 came out in June. The six-chapter volume, which TOI reported on Wednesday, spans history, geography, political science and economics under the National Education Policy 2020 and National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.The chapter “Governance and Public Policy” translates the national motto as “Truth alone triumphs” and the Supreme Court’s motto as “Where there is Dharma (righteous duty), there is victory”. It places these alongside the Sengol and Gandhi’s conception of Ram Rajya.These references are “not just symbolic or superficial”, the book says, but express institutional values and the responsibility to ensure good governance. It contrasts the national motto with “Heaven’s Light, Our Guide”, used by the British Order of the Star of India. The chapter acknowledges that colonial institutions persisted after Independence, but says India’s leaders framed the Constitution in keeping with India’s own values and ideals.The Sengol is described as a “cultural marker of rulership and good governance”, with a tradition dating back more than 1,000 years to the Cholas. Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed it near the Lok Sabha Speaker’s chair in the new Parliament building on May 28, 2023.The textbook recounts Jawaharlal Nehru receiving the sceptre from Tamil Nadu’s Adheenam saints at Independence. Modi had described it as a symbol of the transfer of power. Congress disputed this in 2023, saying there was no documentary evidence that Mountbatten, C Rajagopalachari or Nehru had described it in those terms.Gandhi’s Ram Rajya is presented as an ideal rooted in probity, transparency, compassion and welfare. The chapter links it to the Ramayana and 16th-century Ramcharitmanas, calling it “one of the best examples of good governance and a good collective life”. It discusses Rajdharma as the ruler’s duty to protect people and uphold righteousness.
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“Good governance was measured not only by the ruler’s authority but by the peace, prosperity, justice, and well-being in society,” it says. The chapter also draws on Kautilya’s Arthashastra to place the ruler’s happiness in the happiness of the people.The chapter also identifies seven features of good governance: responsiveness, transparency, participation, rule of law, accountability, effectiveness and inclusiveness.It stresses citizens’ rights, equality before the law and access to public services, while assigning responsibilities to government, citizens, the media, civil society and the private sector in achieving public welfare.
