Ancient Indian Genius Takes Centre Stage as Eurocentric Distortions Are Erased Forever
Published on: November 10, 2025
By: BTNI
Location: New Delhi, India
In a landmark decision that has sent waves of pride across the nation, the Modi Government has officially removed long-standing historical distortions from NCERT textbooks, replacing them with authentic accounts of India’s unparalleled contributions to world mathematics. The newly revised editions, set to reach millions of students from the upcoming academic session, boldly spotlight the groundbreaking work of ancient Indian mathematicians such as Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Bhaskara, and Madhava, crediting them as the true pioneers of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and the very foundations of modern calculus.
For decades, Indian schoolchildren were taught a heavily Eurocentric version of mathematical history that either ignored or marginalised the revolutionary discoveries made on Indian soil centuries before Europe entered the scene. Concepts like the decimal place-value system, the concept of zero as a number, negative numbers, quadratic equations, the Pythagorean theorem (known as Baudhayana Sutra long before Pythagoras), and infinite series were either attributed to later European scholars or presented as universal truths with no geographical origin. The new NCERT textbooks shatter this narrative by presenting irrefutable evidence from ancient texts such as Aryabhatiya, Brahmasphuta Siddhanta, Lilavati, and the Kerala School of Mathematics.
Aryabhata’s calculation of π (pi) to four decimal places (3.1416) and his remarkably accurate value of the solar year in the 5th century CE now receive prominent coverage. Brahmagupta’s 7th-century formulation of rules for operating with zero and negative numbers—rules that Europe would only grasp a thousand years later—are celebrated as revolutionary breakthroughs. Bhaskara II’s elegant proof of the Pythagorean theorem and his work on pell equations find dedicated chapters, while Madhava’s 14th-century discovery of the infinite series for π and trigonometric functions establishes him as the true forerunner of Newton and Leibniz.
This monumental correction is more than an academic update; it is a civilisational restoration. By reclaiming India’s intellectual heritage, the government has ensured that young minds will grow up knowing that the foundations of modern science and technology were laid not in Renaissance Europe, but in the golden era of Indian scholarship. The revised curriculum also highlights how these discoveries travelled through Arab translators to Europe, eventually sparking the European Renaissance—flipping the conventional narrative on its head.
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Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has described the changes as “a decisive step towards decolonising Indian education and instilling scientific temper rooted in Bharatiya Gyan Parampara.” Scholars and historians have welcomed the move, calling it long overdue justice to India’s ancient rishis and mathematicians who gifted the world tools that power everything from space missions to artificial intelligence today.
As these textbooks enter classrooms, an entire generation will learn that India was not a passive recipient of knowledge but the original fountainhead of mathematical thought. This is not just a revision of pages—it is the reclamation of a glorious legacy. Bharat’s mathematical genius, silenced for too long, now echoes loudly and proudly in every school across the nation.
