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From Ramyanas Ram Rajya to the concept of Rajdharma and from the texts of the Upanishads to Sengol of the Chola empire, the revised NCERT Class IX social science book highlights how India preserved its pre-colonial institutions and traditions of governance.
The bookUnderstanding Society India and the Beyondreleased on Monday, notes that leaders of independent India have framed the Constitution in the spirit of India's own values and ideals. Chapter 4, titled Governance and Public Policy, explains the evolution of governance in India and how it is influenced by colonial legacy but also retains aspects of historical and traditional Indian references India is not an exception to the historical legacy of colonialism. However, India stands out in two important ways. Firstly, unlike many societies that experienced colonial rule, India has preserved most of its knowledgeof its pre-colonial institutions and traditions of governance through texts and practices, the section in the chapter notes. The leaders of independent India therefore framed the Constitution in the spirit of India's own values and ideals, the book emphasises. The book referred to Mahatma Gandhis vision of Ram Rajya and asserts that the Father of the Nation's views on Ram Rajya reflect the collective imagination of Indians that it is one of the best examples of good governance. Ram Rajya is rooted in the principles of probity, transparency, compassion, welfare, and people-centric orientation in governance and public policy, the section reads. Gandhi's views on Ram Rajya reflect the collective imagination of Indians, from their distant past to the present day, that Ram Rajya is one of the best examples of good governance and a good collective life, as enshrined in the Ramayana and the sixteenth-century text of Ramcharitmanas, the section adds. Not just the Ramayana, the section also explores how the Mahabharata influenced Indias modern-day governance. From the Vedic period to the Ramayana and the Mahbharata, Indian tradition has consistently viewed governance as a sacred responsibility rather than merely a means of exercising power, the section mentions. Good governance was measured not only by the ruler's authority but by the peace, prosperity, justice, and well-being in society, it notes. The book also cites several phrases drawn from traditional texts, including Indias national motto Satyameva Jayate', from the Mundaka Upanishad, and the Supreme Courts motto, Yato Dharmas Tato Jayah from the Mahabharata. Since Independence, Indian institutions have continued to draw upon traditional ideas and values of governance and have adapted them to the needs of a modern democracy. For example, the British 'OrderUnderstanding Society: of the Star of India' used the phrase, 'Heaven's Light, Our Guide' as its motto but after Independence, we have adopted the motto ' Satyame Jayate ' from Mundaka Upanishad, the section reads. The motto of the Supreme Court of India was chosen to be 'Yato Dharmastato Jayah'. This phrase is taken from the Mahabharata, and it means Where there is Dharma (righteous duty), there is victory. These changes are not just symbolic or superficial. They signify the core values and ideals of our institutions, which have been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring good governance, it further reads The chapter also discusses the legacy of Sengol, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi placed in India's newly inaugurated Parliament building in 2023 and called a cultural marker of rulership and good governance. The Sengola cultural marker of rulership and good governance was placed in India's newly inaugurated Parliament building in the year 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The tradition of using the Sengol as a mark of righteous governance began more than a thousand years ago during the reign of Chola dynasty, the book reads. To mark the occasion of India's Independence, at the stroke of midnight on 15 August 1947, the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, received the Sengol from the Adheenam Saints (an old Shaivite tradition) of Tamil Nadu, it adds. (ANI)
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