Dancing girl appears in altered form; Controversy follows, NCER to republish textbook

NEW DELHI: The NCERT is set to republish the book after the controversy over the concealment of the nudity of the bronze sculpture of the ‘Dancing Girl’, one of the most famous symbols of the Indus Valley Civilization. The image appeared in the ninth-grade art textbook ‘Madhurima’, where the nudity was concealed using black paint. The book for art education was prepared by a committee headed by Sangeetha Natak Akademi President Sandhya Purecha.

This bronze sculpture, which is about 4,500 years old, is of a naked girl wearing bangles on her hands and a necklace around her neck. However, the first chapter of the new book, 'History of Arts', has been changed in a way that hides the nudity of the sculpture. The NCERT's explanation after the controversy and criticism is that the new change was made after the opinion that the picture was not suitable for children. Meanwhile, NCERT's own revised textbook for class 6 has included this sculpture in its original form.

This decision by the NCERT was made over the objections of Prof Michael Danino, who was the chairman of the textbook committee. Danino's argument was that this sculpture is evidence of metallurgical knowledge and that children should be taught about reality, leaving morality aside. The argument that people, including children, come to see the sculpture at the National Museum in Delhi was also not accepted. The nude image was then included in the NCERT book.