Rewriting History: Sowing Discord in the Past for Petty Gains Today

Many have argued that all history is contemporary history and that it is always written by the victors. In that sense, what is happening in India today is not new or surprising: When the English ruled India, they dictated the narrative. When India became independent, the subsequent decades saw an ascendancy of the Congress, and, as a consequence, the history syllabus was tailored to suit its interests. And now, as those of a different viewpoint rule over India, they are doing what had always been done before them: use history as their handmaid to push their own version of the narrative.

But are matters really so simple? Is it just the case of one “version” of history against another? Or is it more sinister? Is it just a simple “political” exercise or an endeavour that will lead to serious consequences?

Before we go further, let us understand the use and need for history. It is, put simply, an attempt to learn the past to understand what mistakes we committed and missteps we took, so we may avoid similar errors and shape a better future. Of course, we also learn about past glories and how we can still achieve those successes in our future endeavours! Just as the scientific study of a bone or skeleton informs a scientist about the kind and quality of life the dead led and what caused their demise, a historian studies past societies, cultures, economies and their technologies—or lack thereof—to determine how we reached where we are and must proceed further.

We must also remember that in understanding the past, we are not aided only by our imagination, fancy or wishes. We are guided by ‘sources’ which help us unveil the past. By sources, one means artefacts, written words, documents, chronicles, books, etc., which have survived the period under study. It is these which inform us of past happenings, good or bad. Thus, the discovery of new sources and evidence from the past earlier unknown to us culminates in reviewing our knowledge and understanding of our past. Any interpretation of past events not supported by evidential facts is not history but myth—wishful thinking!

What has been happening since the last couple of years is that history—the study of the past based on written or material evidence—is slowly but gradually being converted into myth—an imagined past not supported by any fact, weak or strong. We are busy tailoring history as per our wishful thinking. And this portends danger for our future.

Soon after the present dispensation came to occupy space, myths were invoked, such as our ancestors knowing plastic surgery, artificial insemination and aeroplanes! And in 2020-21, steps were initiated to introduce a New Education Policy or NEP, as per which the powers-that-be framed a syllabus for the bachelor’s course in history which claimed for India the glory of being the Aryan homeland. All references to the theory of Aryan migration to India were set aside as “colonial” discourse and rejected. Parity between the Harappan and Vedic cultures was emphasised, and a narrative of the Saraswati civilisation was built.

Even a cursory look at the syllabus dealing with ancient Indian history shows that the epics were positioned as historical sources. An attempt was made to show that evil practices like Sati, female slavery, polygamy, and caste discrimination were absent in the ancient period and resulted from the arrival of “foreigners”—the Muslims. All references in the Dharmaśastras to polygamy and Sati were summarily removed.

Now, the same types of changes are being affected through deletions in NCERT textbooks meant for classes six to twelve. To the untrained eye, the deletions may appear random, thus helping NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani to claim that the exercise is nothing but an attempt to “rationalise” the syllabus by taking out unnecessary or “duplicate” passages to help students overburdened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He conveniently forgets that classes are back to normal and the pandemic-induced need to reduce courses in online classes is behind us. In his considered view, there was neither a “political agenda” behind this exercise nor an attempt to exorcise the Mughals, who are very much there in the textbooks.

The cat is let out of the box only when one pays attention to the details of exclusions and hears the cacophony of voices of political spokespersons—some masquerading as historians—on news channels and online platforms. The choreography on display is the same as the one in which the Hindutva specialises: doublespeak. The issues are tried to be confused by putting forward multiple views, some quite contrary to what NCERT officials have said. Thus, to some, the exercise corrects an “imbalance”, de-emphasises aspects that had been given undue importance, and introduces elements that had found no space in the syllabi so far.

Others say the history being taught was written by conquerors, and now it is time to bring forth the view of the “victims”. To still others, all Muslim rulers were “foreigners”, and instead of “eulogising” their victories, a “nationalist” approach must be adopted. These contradicting voices include those who are part of a concerted attempt to “unearth the suppressed realities” of Indian history. Actually, one vocal voice being heard these days is that of a so-called principal trustee of a body known as the Organisation For Unearthing the Suppressed Realities of Hindustani History, whose stated mission is to “make the authentic history of India” available to all people!

The real import of the changes being effected can be better understood if we try to remember what our Prime Minister said on 26 December 2022 regarding students being taught “concocted narratives”, which needed to be corrected. One month earlier, on 24 November 2022, the Union Home Minister had eloquently declared that no one could stop India from re-writing its history!

Matters become even clearer if we see what elements in the syllabi have been retained and what have been deleted. Earlier, the BA syllabus under NEP had dropped all references to most Mughals except Shah Jahan (in the context of constructing the Taj Mahal), Dara Shukoh and Aurangzeb. The changes in NCERT textbooks do retain some discussion on Akbar, such as his siege of Chittor and the consequent massacre of the Rajputs, but all references to who led the battle from the Mughal side and to Akbar’s policy of tolerance toward all religions, and all passages dealing with the cooperation that existed between the Rajputs and the Mughal empire stand deleted.

Students of class six to twelve who will now read such a syllabus will remain oblivious that the Mughal rule was a collaborative administration of India by the Rajputs and the Mughals. Both extracted revenues and exploited the common masses, Hindus and Muslims. Such students stand no chance to learn that Raja Todar Mal and Raja Raghunath Rai were perhaps the most efficient finance ministers India ever had. They will remain clueless regarding all positive technological developments, from the introduction of paper (of which India emerged a producer of some of the best varieties), progress in the civil engineering field, developments in textile technology and even techniques to raise water and carry it over long distances—which made fountains work! The glass-making industry, wine distillation, indigo production, sericulture and numerous other developments would remain outside the purview of young impressionable minds. They would never hear of artists such as Kesav, Manohar or Kanha!

What, however, will be forever ingrained in their minds is the narratives of wars, communal conflagrations, the breaking of religious places of worship and an atmosphere of hostility. Perhaps we would succeed in dividing our citizens in a way in which even our colonial masters failed.

Selective erasures from syllabi will lead to imagined pasts, such as a “golden” ancient period with no jāti-pratha (caste system) or its discriminations, no Brahmanical atrocities or knowledge that Buddhism was violently banished from this country. The Medieval era would emerge as a Dark Age with only wars and dissension. References to caste discriminations, the rigours of being born a Shudra, the Sati practice, etc., retained in sections of textbooks on Medieval India would firm up the idea that all these negative aspects are the gifts of medieval society. Deletions of all references to eruptions of peasant unrest, Dalit movements etc., would help us brush aside all uncomfortable truths. Thus a truly lopsided imagined past would be the order of the day.

Further, deletions of sections, passages and sentences from textbooks of allied subjects such as sociology and political science would help confirm this imagined past. All references to the Gujarat communal riots of 2002 have been wiped clean, even as references to the equally horrific Sikh riots of 1984 have been retained. The murder of Gandhiji finds a place, but references to the ideological leaning of the assassins have conveniently been removed. In certain textbooks, references to Islamic culture stand deleted, as is the case with all references to events that constrict or challenge the “official” narrative being built of a nation divided on the basis of religion.

Future generations being minted via such a “tailored” syllabus would never be able to understand the mutual interactions that actually went into the making of India. Tolerance would be an alien in this make-believe narrative. People would therefore be turned into ideal citizens of a fascist state.

Remember, half-truths are sometimes much more dangerous than complete lies. Coupled with manufactured truths, we would create a society of ignorant fools. The endeavour is to succeed where the original Fascists and Nazis failed.

The author is a professor of history at the Centre of Advanced Study at Aligarh Muslim University, secretary of the Indian History Congress and president of the Aligarh Society of History and Archaeology. The views expressed are personal.