In line with the National Education Policy’s requirement that education be rooted in the Indian ethos, art forms such as Indian classical music, dance, theatre, and visual arts have been included for the first time in primary and middle school textbooks introduced for primary and middle school (Class 3 to 8). 

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has brought out new textbooks with such content for the first time, for Classes 3 to 8.

Classical music and dance

The new Arts Education textbook, titled Kriti, introduced for Class 8 students in the current academic year 2025-26, delves into the details of swar, laya, and shabd — the basic components of classical Indian music. The book prescribes the recitation of shlokas in Sanskrit through swar and laya patterns, introduces folk or traditional songs in regional languages, and also exposes students to the patterns of the seven notes of classical music in different layas. The curriculum also focusses on the rendition of ragas from Hindustani and Carnatic music.

Similarly for dance, students are exposed to Indian dance forms like Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, and Sattriya. 

“Before this, there was no school textbook which exposed students to classical forms of dance and music. They would have to enrol in private training for learning these forms. Now they will get exposed to these as a part of the school curriculum,” Sangeet Natak Akademi chairperson Sandhya Purecha, who is also chairing the textbook development team working in collaboration with NCERT, told The Hindu. 

The textbook draws heavily from the Natyashastra, a Sanskrit treatise on performing arts; Brihaddeshi, a Sanskrit text on Indian classical music; and Sangita Damodara, among others. Chapters on dance quote from the Sanskrit scripture Abhinaya Darpanam, which focusses on expression through hasta mudras, or hand gestures. 

Basic concepts

Ms. Purecha said that school students are mostly attracted to cultural activities and look forward to the Arts period. “Activities such as storytelling, abhinaya (acting or facial expressions), and dance are enjoyed by children,” she said. 

“Our idea is not to develop a student’s expertise in Bharatnatyam or Kathak, or Indian classical music at this stage. That would take years of practice. What we have done in the book is drawn from these concepts, for instance, basic hasta mudras (hand gestures) in Indian dance forms, which are photographically depicted and can be incorporated in dance or theatre performances that students conceive. Also, basic leaps, jumps, circles are formations that are derived from classical dances can be incorporated into contemporary or folk dances that students may conceive as a part of their projects,” Ms. Purecha said. “Similarly, basics of classical music like ragas and taal is inculcated so that a student may appreciate a classical singing performance with some background knowledge.”

The new textbooks for Classes 3 to 5 are titled Bansuri, while those for Classes 6 to 8 are titled Kriti. They expose children to Indian art forms in stages, in an age-appropriate manner, and have been conceived after over a year of deliberations. In the foreword of the Class 8 textbook, NCERT director Dinesh Saklani notes, “Kriti has infused in its visuals and other components, the rich Indian Knowledge systems, India’s artistic and cultural heritage, values - all deep[y rooted in Bharat.”

QR codes link to audio, video

When asked about the paucity of specialised music, dance, and theatre teachers, especially in rural schools, Ms. Purecha said, “The chapters contain QR codes which can be scanned to access video and audio elements for dance, drama and music, which can be used for self learning.”

Ms. Purecha added that local village teachers can pick up elements from the textbooks to incorporate in cultural activities. “There is a flow to the curriculum beginning from Class 3, and senior grades which are exposed to these concepts for the first time are advised to browse through the textbooks of junior classes too. In fact, parents and teachers of senior classes are taking interest the junior class textbooks,” she added. 

Class 8 students who are required to produce a script can incorporate what they have learnt from the dance and music lessons in theatre performances too. “Students are expected to conceive group performances for dance, drama, applied arts, and music. They will be graded on the basis of these projects. There are no marks to be allotted, neither will there be a theory paper. Schools are expected to conduct practical-based graded assessment,” Ms. Purecha said. 

To improve wider accessibility and reach, the books have been translated into 19 languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Maithili, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Bodo, Gujarati, Dogri, Konkani, Santhali, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Kannada, Sanskrit, Malayalam, and Odia.

Published - August 25, 2025 06:07 am IST