Overview
- NCERT has introduced dedicated chapters on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in Class 8 Urdu, Brigadier Mohammad Usman in Class 7 Urdu and Major Somnath Sharma in Class 8 English textbooks.
- The curriculum update stems from a joint initiative by the Ministries of Defence and Education alongside NCERT to weave the National War Memorial into school lessons.
- Lessons on Manekshaw highlight his leadership in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, while sections on Usman and Sharma focus on their posthumous Maha Vir Chakra and Param Vir Chakra honors for valor in the 1947–48 Kashmir conflict.
- Officials say the new chapters aim to inspire courage, resilience and empathy by sharing real-life stories of duty and sacrifice.
- This rollout marks the latest phase of embedding military history and National War Memorial narratives into middle-school syllabuses for Urdu and English mediums.