History Passes Through NCERT Censor: Historian Says 'Dancing Girl' Edit Creates a 'Fake Artefact'
- Jun 15
- 3 min read
NCERT has sparked controversy after an altered image of the iconic Mohenjo-daro "Dancing Girl" appeared in a Class 9 History of Arts textbook. Historians and education experts argue that modifying the 4,500-year-old Indus Valley Civilization artefact misrepresents history and risks creating a "fake artefact."
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, June 15: NCERT has courted controversy once again after the iconic 'Dancing Girl' of Mohenjo-daro appeared censored in a Class 9 History of Arts textbook. The celebrated figurine originates from Mohenjo-daro, one of the principal cities of the Indus Valley Civilization, often noted for its advanced urban planning and relatively progressive social character.
Experts argue that the nearly 4,500-year-old sculpture is a historical artefact, not a contemporary artwork intended to provoke or depict nudity. They also point out that the figurine has appeared in textbooks, museums and academic literature for generations without being considered inappropriate or having any adverse influence on children.
“This sculpture depicts a posture with one knee bent, one hand on the waist and a slightly lifted chin," says the textbook. The chapter further prompts a discussion on the "lost-wax technique prevalent in West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh," which was used to make the sculpture. It incorporated several activities to encourage children, including asking students to mimic the posture and sketch the pose while imagining various positions of the feet.
The change is being viewed as a serious problem among historians.
What Has Changed in the New Textbook?
In the new Class 9 textbook, the torso of the figurine appears visually modified compared to photographs of the original artefact. Shading has been applied across the upper body, obscuring anatomical details visible in the original sculpture.
The alteration has drawn attention because the same artefact appears in NCERT's Class 6 Social Science textbook in a form much closer to the original bronze figurine.
'Dancing Girl Not Age-Appropriate'
Historian Michel Danino, who headed the textbook development committee for NCERT's new Class 6 Social Science books, said he had previously been informed that the Dancing Girl image was considered "not age-appropriate."
"This refers to our Grade 6 Social Science textbook. The reason I was given was that the image of the Dancing Girl was not age-appropriate," Danino told PTI.
"Our team disagreed; we even checked with teachers of Class 6, and they told us there was never a problem with the Dancing Girl," he said.
Danino argued that viewing nudity in historical art as inappropriate reflected an outdated perspective. "The notion that nudity is inappropriate is, in my opinion, an obsolete Victorian view. Yet we speak of decolonising Indian education," he said.
'A Serious Problem for Indian Art Education'
Reacting to the altered image in the Class 9 arts textbook, Danino said his initial response was disbelief. "If the Dancing Girl cannot figure as she is, and with proper dimensions, in a chapter on Indian art, then we have a serious problem," he said.
According to Danino, the modification misrepresents the original artefact and risks distorting students' understanding of historical objects. Danino also criticised the alteration of historical images, arguing that modifications should only be made when reconstructing damaged or incomplete artefacts.
"Unless this is clearly done to indicate the possible reconstruction of a partial artefact, altering such an image amounts to creating a fake artefact. It points to a serious lack of understanding of how historical artefacts are to be pictured," he said.
NCERT has not publicly commented on the differing representations of the Dancing Girl in its Class 6 and Class 9 textbooks.
