The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has introduced chapters on the lives of Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Brigadier Mohammad Usman, and Major Somnath Sharma in the school curriculum for the current academic year.
The chapters have been incorporated into Urdu and English textbooks as follows:
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw in Class VIII (Urdu)
Brigadier Mohammad Usman in Class VII (Urdu)
Major Somnath Sharma in Class VIII (English}
These inclusions aim to highlight stories of exceptional courage, leadership, and dedication to duty. Field Marshal Manekshaw, one of India’s most celebrated military leaders and the first Indian Army officer to be conferred the rank of Field Marshal, played a pivotal role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war that led to the creation of Bangladesh. Brigadier Mohammad Usman, posthumously awarded the Mahavir Chakra, was martyred in 1948 during the Indo-Pak war in Jammu and Kashmir and is remembered for his steadfast defence of the nation. Major Somnath Sharma, the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, was martyred in the same conflict while fighting to save Srinagar airport from enemy capture.
The initiative is part of a broader collaboration between the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education, and NCERT to strengthen the presence of the National War Memorial (NWM) and related themes within educational content. The aim is to inspire students by presenting real-life examples of resilience, leadership, emotional intelligence, and sacrifice.
Officials state that these chapters are expected to not only enrich students’ understanding of India’s military history but also encourage values of empathy and nation-building from an early age.
