New Delhi: Former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh has written to NCERT, urging that Baba Ram Singh, chief of the Namdhari sect of Sikhs, be credited for launching the Swadeshi movement in 1860.

Baba Ram Singh, the 12th Guru of the Namdhari sect, was also a social reformer who led the Kuka Movement in 1857 against British rule. He promoted boycotting British goods, using indigenous products, vegetarianism, and widow remarriage.

The NCERT recently released modules on Swadeshi, highlighting the 1905 movement in Bengal, a theme featured prominently in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches. Singh noted that most students and the general public are unaware that Baba Ram Singh initiated the first Swadeshi efforts in India, including promoting Khadar-made clothes and even introducing a postal system in Punjab.

“The Ministry of Culture has recognised his contributions as part of India's freedom movement and has commemorated his 200th birth anniversary with a stamp and coin,” Singh wrote to NCERT Chief Dinesh Saklani, requesting that the curriculum be updated to give due credit to Baba Ram Singh.