Actor R Madhavan has spoken out about how history is represented in Indian school curricula, particularly highlighting the lack of focus on the country’s rich southern history and ancient traditions. In a recent exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, the 54-year-old actor, known for his role in Kesari Chapter 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh, raised concerns over the limited representation of India’s diverse historical narrative in textbooks.

“I might get into trouble for saying this, but I’ll still say it,” Madhavan began, addressing the topic candidly. “When I studied history in school, there were eight chapters on the Mughals, two on the Harappa and Mohenjo-daro civilisations, four on British rule and the freedom struggle, and just one chapter on the southern kingdoms, the Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, and Cheras.”

The actor went on to stress how this portrayal downplays significant aspects of Indian history. “The British and the Mughals ruled us for close to 800 years, but the Chola Empire is 2,400 years old. They were pioneers of sea travel and naval power.

They had spice routes that extended to Rome. Where’s that part of our history? Where’s the mention of us building temples all the way to Angkor Wat with our mighty naval forces? Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism spread to China. People in Korea speak half Tamil because that’s how far our language reached. And we encapsulated all of this in just one chapter,” he pointed out.