New Delhi, June 15: The NCERT has made significant changes to the depiction of the famous ‘Dancing Girl’ statue from Mohenjo Daro in its textbooks. The bronze statue, discovered during excavations in 1926, is now presented in a modified form, with parts of the figure obscured in the latest edition of the Class 9 book titled ‘Madhurima’.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the image in the textbook shows the statue with its torso covered, while the original sculpture displays it in its natural state. This alteration marks the first change in the representation of this iconic statue, which has been published in its original form for the past 25 years.
The textbook is part of NCERT’s new Arts Education series, developed under the National Education Policy (NEP) and the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). Books for classes 1 to 9 have already been released.
Historian Michel Danino criticized the modification, calling it censorship and an injustice to students. He questioned whether students would also be prohibited from viewing the original statue at the National Museum, where it is currently housed.
In response to inquiries about the changes, NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani stated that there was no specific reason for the alteration. He noted that the statue is presented in its original form in the Class 6 Social Science textbook, highlighting its significance as one of the major discoveries of the Harappan civilization.
This is not the first time objections have been raised regarding the depiction of the statue. Danino previously mentioned that there were concerns about potential controversies surrounding the statue’s nude form, which led to its image being moved within the textbook.
The ‘Dancing Girl’ statue, approximately 4 inches tall, features a young woman with a bun hairstyle, adorned with bangles and a necklace, striking a pose with her right hand on her waist and her left hand on her thigh. The original statue remains preserved at the National Museum in New Delhi.