India is currently in the grip of constructed hate. This has led to violence against vulnerable sections of the society, particularly religious minorities and Dalits. While love is a natural phenomenon, hatred is constructed around misconceptions. A major source of such misconceptions is history, kneading in the name of religion and misinterpreting to suit a political agenda.
All three major periods of Indian History – ancient, medieval and modern – are distorted and presented through the lens of religion. Furthermore, historians who interpret history in a rational, scientific way are being defamed by the dominant political narrative. As pointed out by Eric Hobswam:
History is to nationalism: what poppy is to the opium addict.
Going against the propaganda, many historians have opposed communal distortions of history. Even when faced with death threats, they have done so to preserve the inclusive interpretation of India’s past.
Professor D.N.Jha, former Professor and Head of Department of History, Delhi University, is one such person. His death (4 February 2021) is a great loss to the world of professional historians and the movement that is trying to uphold the plural, inclusive nature of our country.
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