Bhubaneswar: Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday slammed NCERT over “omission” of Paika rebellion from NCERT textbook, calling it a “huge dishonour” to the state’s legacy of resistance against colonialism.
In a strongly worded social media post, Naveen wrote, “Deeply concerned to know that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (@ncert) has dropped #Odisha’s Paika Rebellion or Paika Bidroha from its textbooks. The Paika rebellion was a watershed moment in Odisha’s history as our brave Paikas fought with extraordinary courage against the oppressive British way back in 1817.”
The former CM also mentioned the past attempts by his government, urging the Centre to declare it as the first war of Independence. “The Paikas came together to fight against the tyranny of foreign, colonial rule with unparalleled bravery. The omission of the epic rebellion from NCERT text books, which took place 40 years before the sepoy mutiny is a huge dishonour to our brave Paikas, 200 years after the rebellion- which became torchbearer for people’s movement against British rule,” he further wrote.
Naveen then urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to ensure that “justice is done to Paika Bidroha and Odisha”.
Paikas, the peasant militia under the Gajapati rulers of Odisha who rendered military service to the king during the times of war, had rebelled against the British rule under the leadership of Baxi Jagandhu Bidyadhara as early as 1817.
Also Read: NCERT Clarifies Omission Of Odisha’s 1817 Paika Rebellion In Class 8 Textbook
Naveen’s post came even as the NCERT, in a statement, on Monday clarified that the regional resistance movement will be included in the second volume of the textbook, ‘Exploring Society: Indian and Beyond’, which is expected to be released by September or October, as several voices questioned the BJP-led central government’s stance on preserving ‘Odia Asmita’.
“The said textbook happens to be the 1st volume of this textbook. The second volume is in the final stages of development and is expected to be released in Sept-Oct 2025. Topics relating to the regional resistance movements/armed uprisings such as the Paika rebellion/Khurda uprising of Odisha, the Kuka movement/rebellion of the Sikhs in Punjab etc, will be handled in this volume,” the official release said.