Rephrasing the Echoes of Yesterday

What History is to a People

The history of a nation is the edifice on which the ethos of its people is built, it is the national narrative of
memory. The way earlier centuries have shaped the nation, is today depicted in historical texts that
influence the thought process of its present citizens. This can be seen in the significant importance the
Indian Constitution provides to the ideas of freedom and equality. Although these ideas may have been
derived from Indic culture, and foreign ideals, the brutalization under Britain made us realise their
essentiality and codification. These texts and books are the single point of contact between a nation’s
present and its past, this is a link that must imbibe national loyalty and pride for being a citizen and must
be written as a means to that goal. It needs to be emphasised that a nation is defined as a people who
feel one and equal. However, an ambiguous vision of History, creates differences and divides due to
differing loyalties to historical figures, philosophies and events. These differences remain till today
and tug at the delicate fabric of a multicultural society like India, which can be overcome only with a
robust integration. Fault lines exist within our society, and emerge from time to time, causing friction
and even violence. A lack of understanding of the shared history of India, only adds fuel to the fire of
communal tension, and provides ripe ground for radical thought. This can lead to a generation of
youth susceptible to radicalization by fringe elements.

A Look Around Us

I would like to highlight three countries that have successfully taught history to benefit their national interests of fostering internal peace and external competition. The first is Japan, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of World War II to be the 3rd largest economy in the world. It encouraged pacifism in school curriculum as lessons from the depredations of war. This helped to focus the energies of their populace towards development, innovation and excellence in technology rather than adopting a vindictive value system to avenge the suffering inflicted on them.
The second is Rwanda, known to have adopted a curriculum to dismantle the erstwhile Culture of Violence and enable the youth to manage the sentiments of their violent ethnic history through a Culture of Peace.
Teaching their children to develop values of tolerance, respect, equality, empathy, and compassion has promoted emotional solidarity among students, enhanced national unity and served to mitigate ethnic friction over the years.
The third is China, which refers to its subjugated past as a “Century of Humiliation”, when foreign interventions oppressed their people in the 19th century. When entire generations are sequentially taught about their shared ancestral humiliation and the brave steps followed to liberate oneself, even casual Chinese readers are enjoined to feel a sense of respect and loyalty towards their nation. There could have been many other terms to use here, like “loot”, “oppression”, “ruins” and the likes, however, “humiliation” is the one word that rallies people behind it and demands restoration of respect rather than just lamenting about the loot. This demand for restoration is made to reverberate in the minds of the youth, and some years down the line this results in a huge percentage of the population working in some sense towards this common goal, albeit through different actions. This can be thought of as neo-nationalism, seen in previously oppressed but now independent nations. It galvanises the people towards the restoration of respect and dignity at the global stage based on a nuanced understanding of
their history.

The Indian Context
The same humiliation, if not more, was also faced by the Indian people, hence, a fair argument can be made calling for a review of the way we phrase our history in our schools. While our history goes back millenia, the idea of a country called “India'' as against several independently ruled kingdoms, arguably emerged during the last 300 years. Thus, this article restricts itself to the way history of British Rule is taught to students. For example, referring to our oppression as “Colonial History” in my opinion dilutes the dehumanisation faced by our predecessors. Also, the term “colony” in a political context means “a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country”. Where in this definition does one find even a glimpse of any wrongdoing, oppression, ruin or loot? Although Indian history has been written to inspire unity, pride and tolerance, it must also convey a substantial feeling of suffering and injustice. Similarly, the “Famines of Bengal'' during British rule occurred due to their gross neglect, almost as if on purpose. Should these be referred to as famines that mean a mere scarcity of food? Indian historians may find some utility in coining a new term for these “Empire supported Famines”, since these were closer to a “passive genocide” in terms of meaning, causes and scale of deaths.

Conclusion
This author does not wish to suggest any alternative for these terms, the only ask here is to ponder on how these small variations in content can influence the way a nation views its past and shapes its future. To build a generation of loyal citizens striving to uplift their state among the comity of nations, it is necessary to start from the ground up i.e the Education System. Learning History is the first time a child/student empathizes with our glorious history and the multifaceted character of the Indian National Movement. This is also probably the first time children inquire about their predecessors and their experiences. This experience of empathy through History, must be made a lasting one if we aim to build a generation of loyal Indians, impervious to radicalization by hostile forces, and inculcate the spirit of perseverance from within. A holistic view of our history and the injustices heaped on us should provide impetus to the Indian psyche and accelerate our emergence as a global power, reaping the benefits of our demographic dividend.

By: Arjun Bakshi
Forever NUton
B.Tech CSE (2018-22)