Rediscovering Bhārat: Awakening to Our True Self

Rediscovering Bhārat: Awakening to Our True Self

I am writing today to share an inspiring story of a teacher whom I came across a few months ago. The way he responded to a simple incident in his classroom with such sensitivity led his life to take the form of an extraordinary intellectual journey. This story is about Georges Ifrah, a mathematics teacher and historian from France. His work gives us a true sense of learning, curiosity, and exploration.

In the 1970s, Georges Ifrah was teaching mathematics at an elementary school in France. Like many sensitive teachers, he believed that students should ask questions without fear, hesitation, or embarrassment. He believed that no question was too small or unworthy of attention. Once, during a class discussion, a student asked him a simple question— “Where do numbers come from? Who invented them? Why do we write them the way we do?” After that, other students asked many questions—Why are numbers like 1, 2, and 3 written the way they are? Did ancient cultures use the same numbers we use today? Who invented zero? How did people measure and calculate before paper and calculators came along? These questions were not part of an examination; they arose from the students’ natural curiosity.

Instead of ignoring the students’ questions, Georges Ifrah listened to them very seriously. Despite being a mathematics teacher, he realized that he himself did not fully know the history of numbers. That moment became a turning point in his life. After that, he travelled to various countries for almost ten years, determined to learn about the mathematical knowledge of different cultures and civilizations. To understand the process of the development of mathematics, he studied manuscripts, archaeological remains, and ancient counting systems in depth. His research revealed the contributions of many cultures to the development of mathematical concepts. In particular, it highlighted India’s discovery of zero and the importance of the decimal place-value system. After many years of study and research, he compiled his findings in his famous book, The Universal History of Numbers.

This story is important to us as teachers not only because of Georges Ifrah’s scholarship or the book he wrote, but also because of his approach as a teacher. He did not ignore his students’ curiosity, or rush to give quick answers, or dismiss their questions as “simple.” Instead, he saw those questions as a golden opportunity to expand his own understanding. His journey reminds us that education is not just about transferring information. True learning begins where curiosity is honoured. Often, seemingly simple questions have opened the doors to some of the most profound discoveries in history.

The recently published Class IX Mathematics textbook integrates the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in accordance with NEP 2020. The book introduces mathematical concepts along with the history and evolution of mathematics in Bharat. This is an inspiring step towards education that is connected to India’s cultural roots. The textbook introduces students to the Indian intellectual tradition through the study of mathematics. It also highlights the contributions of great scholars such as Baudhāyana, Brahmagupta, Āryabhaṭa, and Mādhava of Saṅgamagrāma. Topics such as Coordinate Geometry and the decimal system are linked to ancient Bharatiya culture and the knowledge tradition. Students are also introduced to the pioneering work of the Kerala mathematical tradition on infinite series related to calculus.

Against this backdrop of the growing study of the Indian knowledge tradition and its inclusion in the new educational policy, an important reflective question arises before us as Indian teachers. This question can be explored through the following example.

One of the most fundamental concepts in geometry, a theorem related to a right triangle, is known worldwide as the “Pythagorean Theorem.” However, historical evidence from the Indian mathematical tradition suggests that this relationship between the sides of a right triangle was described in the Śulbasūtras of Baudhāyana long before Pythagoras. Therefore, many educationists and scholars today refer to it as the “Baudhāyana–Pythagoras Theorem.” This theorem has now been introduced under the combined name “Baudhāyana–Pythagoras Theorem” in the CBSE Class VIII Mathematics textbook.

Such changes raise a serious ideological, educational, and cultural question for many people. Despite the Indian contribution being so ancient, why did many generations continue to use only the name “Pythagorean Theorem” in the post-independence era? Are we ourselves unaware of the core of our ancient knowledge tradition? How did we become alienated from our own knowledge heritage? How did we gradually lose faith in our intellectual tradition? Why do we still feel a certain hesitation when speaking about our own knowledge systems?

The purpose of including the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the curriculum is never to reject world knowledge or to uproot myths about Bharat. Rather, it is to reconnect with our cultural roots, preserve intellectual honesty about knowledge, and instil faith in truth-based understanding. If ancient India has contributed significant knowledge to humanity, then our students should receive a balanced and objective introduction to it. Just as Georges Ifrah understood the history of numbers through curiosity and research, Indian teachers today too need to explore and honestly rediscover India’s diverse knowledge heritage in science, mathematics, medicine, metallurgy, engineering, art, and philosophy, along with the knowledge heritage of the wider world.

When we say “Baudhāyana–Pythagoras Theorem,” we are not merely changing a name or title; we are also re-establishing India’s place in the world history of mathematics and acknowledging the continuous flow of human knowledge. This instils in students a sense of pride that they are not merely consumers of knowledge but inheritors of a rich intellectual tradition.

Unfortunately, for a long time we have been taught that all important inventions were made only in Western countries. Our education system has not adequately introduced students to India’s heritage of knowledge, scientific achievements, or philosophical traditions. As a result, a sense of inferiority—that “we are defeated, ignorant, poor, backward, and worthless”—has become deeply rooted in the minds of many Indians. That is why many people sense doubt and hesitation while speaking about the past. The solution, however, is not simply to adopt a negative mediocre inferior tone or express regret for mistakes that were made in the past. The real question is how to build a new identity for ourselves by accepting those mistakes, becoming aware of them, and taking pride in what is worthy of pride; and how to cultivate a healthy self-image.

This question is not merely one of information, but of perspective. Should we present the story of the Indo-China War as a “defeat,” or as a story of the courage and sacrifice of soldiers? Should we remember the day of the Battle of Panipat simply as a “day of defeat,” or also as a day that reflects remarkable valour and sacrifice? Did Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj “murder” Afzal Khan, or did he “slay” him? Should we say that Vasco da Gama “discovered” India, or that he reached the shores of India?

Words may seem simple, but they change the focus and purpose of an entire narrative. As a result, our understanding of events and their consequences also changes. Our perspective is shaped by the stories we hear. The collective mind and social consciousness of a society are deeply influenced by what is told and how it is narrated.

“Will the story of the forest be told by the animals of the forest, by the king of the forest, or by the hunter?” This determines who becomes the hero of the story.

If India’s self-awareness is to be truly awakened, it is extremely important today to recover the wisdom that has been lost in the womb of time. At the same time, the genuine achievements and sources of pride from every period of India’s history—ancient, pre-independence, and post-independence—should be presented to students in a proper and balanced manner.

We Indians must decide how our society presents its cultural and historical story to the world. Whether a change such as the “Baudhāyana–Pythagoras Theorem” is merely a temporary trend or a sincere attempt to bring about a positive change in the outlook of Indians is a question that we ourselves must answer through our actions.

Perhaps the greatest message that the Indian knowledge tradition gives to today’s teachers is that they should not remain mere transmitters of information from textbooks, but should become active seekers of knowledge. As teachers, it is our responsibility to make students aware of the great contributions that Bharat has made to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, architecture, language, art, philosophy, and human thought, and to instill in them confidence in heritage and culture of Bharat.

The Indian knowledge tradition has evolved through inquiry, dialogue, observation, experimentation, and continuous reflection, a tradition of seeker. While incorporating this tradition into education, we should keep a clear goal in mind—that we wish to re-establish these very practices of questioning, dialogue, observation, experimentation, and reflection within our classrooms.

Georges Ifrah’s story reminds us that true knowledge grows only when teachers themselves continue to learn. Through the implementation of  New Education policy, let us create classrooms where curiosity is welcomed, questions are respected, and education becomes a beautiful journey of discovery, reflection, and self-realisation rather than merely a means of completing a curriculum and transferring information.

Prashant Divekar

Jñāna Prabodhini, Pune