History of ancient Saraswati river to be taught in Haryana schools

The BJP-led Haryana government has decided to include the history of ancient Saraswati river in the school curriculums so that youth are made aware of the history and presence of the river

The BJP-led Haryana government has decided to include the history of ancient Saraswati river in the school curriculums so that youth are made aware of the history and presence of the river.

The decision was taken jointly by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is chairman of the Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board, and state education minister Kanwar Pal. (HT File)

As per information, syllabus on historical importance of the 5,000-year-old river will be prepared for students of Class 6 to 8.

Eleven members of the Saraswati Syllabus Committee led by assistant director of Centre for Dr BR Ambedkar Studies at Kurukshetra University Dr Pritam Singh has been formed to prepare the syllabus.

Dr Deepa Mehta, research officer at the geology department of the university has been appointed as member secretary of the committee. The committee will submit its report by September 15.

Dhumman Singh Kirmach, vice-chairman of the Haryana Saraswati Heritage Development Board, said the decision to include history of Saraswati river in school curriculum has been taken jointly by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar (who is chairman of the Board) and state education minister Kanwar Pal.

Since Saraswati river has an old history and was flowing through many districts of Haryana, the decision to include it in the school curriculum will help impart knowledge about it to the younger generations.

Kirmach said Saraswati is one of the oldest rivers of India and has a different historical and mythological significance as Indian culture developed along the banks of the river.

During the seven year stint in Haryana, the BJP-led government had taken steps to revive Saraswati river from Adi-Badri in Yamunanagar.

While addressing a seminar on ‘Saraswati river: new perspectives and heritage development’ during the ongoing International Saraswati Festival 2021 in February, Khattar had announced a budget of ₹800 crore for construction of dam barrage and reservoir as part of the Saraswati river rejuvenation project.

A study conducted by the Centre of Excellence for Research on the Saraswati River (CERSR) at Kurukshetra University had revealed that Saraswati river was flowing in Haryana until 1402 AD and all major archaeological sites in Haryana (Siswal, Rakhigarhi, Banawali, Bhirrana, Kunal, Balu, Thana) were located at a radial.