"This is an old charge which keeps surfacing now and
then," wrote one of those "eminent historians," K. N.
Panikkar, in response to an article of mine the charge that
close to two crores had been spent on the "Towards
Freedom" project of the Indian Council of Historical
Project, and little had been achieved. "About a year back
The Times of India carried a front page story on this. The
historians had then clarified through a public statement
published in several newspapers, that they have not drawn
any money from the ICHR and that they worked for five
years purely in an honorary capacity. When he [that is,
me] gets the information from the ministry, if he does, that
the editors have not taken any money, I would normally
expect Shourie to tender a public apology. But given the
intellectual honesty and cultural level reflected in his
article, I do not think it would be forthcoming. The
alternative of suing for defamation the likes of Shourie is
below one's dignity. But I do expect at least the ministry to
make a public statement on the factual position."
Strong stuff, and definitive, one would think. It turns out
that on July 17, 1998, in answer to a question tabled in the
Rajya Sabha, the ministry stated that only one part of the
project has been completed and published since the original
volume of Dr P. N. Chopra. This is the volume in three
parts - by Dr. Partha Sarthi Gupta covering 1943-44. In
answer to another question, the ministry has reported that
"after publication of the volume he was paid an honorarium
of Rs 25,000 in September, 1997."
Dr. Partha Sarthi Gupta, in other words, is the one editor
who has completed the work which he had undertaken. For
that he has been paid Rs 25,000. The others have not
completed the work they had undertaken, they have
therefore not been paid the Rs 25,000 which are to be paid
to them only when their volumes are completed and
published. That is how they go about proclaiming
themselves to be social workers - we have been working in
an honorary capacity, we have not taken a penny !
And as bits and pieces about the ICHR at last start trickling
out, we learn that the "Towards Freedom" project isn't the
only one on which large amounts have been spent and
which has not been completed. There is an "Economic
History of India Project." Rs NINETEEN LAKHS AND
FIFTY FIVE THOUSAND have been spent on it. Nothing
has been published as a result. Though, the ministry told
the Rajya Sabha that "according to the information
furnished by the ICHR," two volumes of the project on
railways and agriculture are "ready for the press."
The ministry also told the Rajya Sabha that "Professor
Bipin Chandra was sanctioned a sum of Rs 75,000 during
1987-88 for the assignment entitled 'A History of the Indian
National Congress.' A sum of Rs 57,500 [FIFTY SEVEN
THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED] has been released to him
till 23.6.1989. The remaining balance of Rs. 17,500 is yet
to be released because a formal manuscript in this regard is
yet to be received." In a word, spare readers this social-
worker stance - "doing all this in a strictly honorary
capacity." It is as if Bipin Chandra were to go about saying,
"See, I have not even taken the Rs 17,500 which the ICHR
still owes me." And do not miss that effort from the ICHR
to help to the extent possible - "The remaining balance of
Rs, 17,500 is yet to be released because a formal
manuscript in this regard is yet to be received." Does that
mean that some "informal" manuscript has been received,
or that no manuscript has been received?
As newspapers and magazines such as Outlook had done,
Panikkar had concocted his conspiracy theory on the charge
that the BJP government had changed the word "rational"
into "national," and that it had suppressed three of the five
objectives of the ICHR by changing the memorandum of
association of the ICHR. I had reproduced relevant
paragraphs from the resolutions to show that the same
wording had continued for at least 20 years. I had given the
numbers and dates of the resolutions. I had also reported
that I had requested the secretary of the ministry to help
Ascertain the year since which the same wording had
continued. And what was the response of this "eminent"
historian who, as he said, writes signed articles in
publications of the Communist party "because I believe in
the ideals it stands for?" "Even if Shourie's contention is
true (unlike Shourie who is a BJP MP, a resident of Delhi
elected from UP I have no means to ascertain from the
ministry)......"
That is a much favoured stance: when caught peddling a
lie, insinuate that the other fellow is privileged! And that as
you are from the working masses, you cannot ascertain
whether the facts he has stated are true. Therefore, what
you stated must stand as fact - Q.E.D!
Exactly the same dodge was used a day or so later by
another of these progressives. Manoj Raghuvanshi had
invited K.M. Shrimali and me to discuss on Zee television's
Aap ki Adalat the charge that history was being 'rewritten
in communal colours. Raghuvanshi read out what Outlook
had reported that the West Bengal Board of Secondary
Education had issued instructions in 1989 that "Muslim
rule should never attract any criticism. Destruction of
temples by Muslim rulers and invaders should not be
mentioned."
Raghuvanshi asked Shrimali, whether this did not amount
to distortion? True, that was a painful period of our history,
Raghuvanshi said, but should it be erased from our history
books? Would that be objective, rational history? Shrimali's
response, was the well-practised script: firstly, he did not
know (hat such an instruction was ever issued; if it was
issued, he said, he was against it; but one must " what the
context was in which the instruction had been issued....
Concerned teachers in West Bengal have been so kind as to
send me the circular relating to textbooks for class IX.
Dated April 28, 1989, it is issued by the West Bengal
Secondary Board. It is in Bengali, and carries the number
"Syl/89/1."
"All the West Bengal government recognised secondary
school headmasters are being informed," it begins, "that in
History textbooks recommended by this board for Class IX
the following amendments to the chapter on the medieval
period have been decided after due discussions and review
by experts."
"The authors and publishers of Class IX History textbooks,"
it continues, "are being requested to incorporate the
amendments if books published by them have these
aushuddho (impurities, errors) in all subsequent editions,
and paste a corrigendum in books which have already been
published. A copy of the book with the corrigendum should
be deposited with the syllabus office (74, Rafi Ahmed
Kidwai Road, Calcutta - 16)." Signed, "....Chattopadhyaya,
secretary."
The accompanying pages contain two columns: aushuddho
- impurity, or error - and shuddho. One has just to glance
through the changes to see the objective the progressives
are trying to achieve through their "objective...... rational"
approach to the writing of history. Here are some of the
changes.
Book: Bharat Katha, prepared by the Burdwan Education
Society, Teachers Enterprise, published by Sukhomoy
Das....
Page 140: Aushuddho.- "In Sindhudesh the Arabs did not
describe Hindus as Kafir. They had banned cow-slaughter."
Shuddho - "delete, 'They had banned cow-slaughter'."
Page 141: Aushuddho - "Fourthly, using force to destroy
Hindu temples was also an expression of aggression.
Fifthly, forcibly marrying Hindu women and converting
them to Islam before marriage was another way to
propagate the fundamentalism of the ulema."
Shuddho: though the column reproduces the sentences only
>from "Fourthly......," the Board directs that the entire
matter from "Secondly .... to ulema" be deleted.
Page 141: Aushuddho - The logical, philosophical,
materialist Mutazilla disappeared. On the one hand, the
fundamentalist thinking based on the Quran and the
Hadis'......" Shuddho - "delete, 'On the one hand, the
fundamentalist thinking based on the Quran and the
Hadis'......."
Book: Bharatvarsher Itihash, by Dr. Narendranath
Bhattacharya, published by Chakravarty and Son....
Page 89: Aushuddho - "Sultan Mahmud used force for
widespread murder, loot, destruction and conversion."
Shuddho - "There was widespread loot and destruction by
Mahmud." That is, no reference to killing, no reference to
forcible conversions.
Page 89: Aushuddho - "He looted valuables worth two crore
dirham from the Somnath temple and used the Shivling as
a step leading up to the masjid in Ghazni." Shuddho -
"Delete 'and used the Shivling as a step leading up to the
masjid in Ghazni'."
Page 112: Aushuddho - "Hindu-Muslim relations of the
medieval ages is a very sensitive issue. The non-believers
had to embrace Islam or death." Shuddho -All matter on
pages 112-13 to be deleted.
Page 113: Aushuddho - "According to Islamic law non-
Muslims will have to choose between death and Islam.
Only the Hanafis allow non-Muslims to pay jaziya in
exchange for their lives." Shuddho - Rewrite this as
follows: "By paying jaziya to Allauddin Khilji, Hindus
could lead normal lives." Moreover, all the subsequent
sentences "Qazi...," "Taimur's arrival in India...." to be
deleted.
Page 113: Aushuddho - "Mahmud was a believer in the rule
of Islam whose core was 'Either Islam or death.' Shuddho -
delete.
Book: Bharuter Itihash, by Shobhankar Chattopadhyaya,
published by Narmada Publishers.
Page 181: Aushuddho - "To prevent Hindu women from
being seen by Muslims, they were directed to remain
indoors." Shuddho - delete.
Book: Itihasher Kahini, by Nalini Bhushan Dasgupta,
published by B. B. Kumar.
Page 132: Aushuddho - "According to Todd (the famous
chronicler of Rajasthan annals) the purpose behind
Allauddin's Chittor expedition was to secure Rana Rattan
Singh's beautiful wife, Padmini." Shuddho - delete.
Page I54: Aushuddho - "As dictated by Islam, there were
three options for non-Muslims: get yourself converted to
Islam; pay jaziya; accept death. In an Islamic State non-
Muslims had to accept one of these three options." Shuddho
- delete.
Page 161: Aushuddho - "The early Sultans were eager to
expand the sway of Islam by forcibly converting Hindus
into Islam." Shuddho - delete.
Book: Bharuter Itihash, by P. Maiti, Sreedhar Prakashini.
Page 117: Aushuddho - "There is an account that Allauddin
attacked the capital of Mewar, Chittorgarh, to get Padmini,
the beautiful wife of Rana Rattan Singh." Shuddho - delete.
Page 139: Aushuddho "There was a sense of aristocratic
superiority in the purdah system. That is why upper-class
Hindus adopted. this system from upper-class Muslims.
Another opinion has it that purdah came into practice to
save Hindu women from Muslims. Most probably, purdah
came into vogue because of both factors." Shuddho - delete.
The most extensive deletions Tare ordered in regard to the
chapter on "Aurangzeb's policy on religion." Every allusion
to what he actually did to the Hindus" to their temples, to
the very leitmotif of his rule - to spread the sway of Islam -
are directed to be excised from the book. He is to be
presented as one who had an aversion - an ordinary sort of
aversion, almost a secular one - to music and dancing, to
the presence of prostitutes in the court, and that it is these
things he banished. The only allusion to his having done
anything in regard to Islam which is allowed to remain is
that "By distancing himself from Akbar's policy of religious
tolerance and policy of equal treatment, Aurangzeb caused
damage to Mughal rule."
Book: Swadesho Shobhyota by Dr P.K. Basu and S.B.
Ghatak, Abhinav Prakashan.
Page 126: Aushuddho - "Some people believe that
Allauddin's Mewar expedition was to get hold of Padmini,
the wife of Rana Rattan Singh." Shuddho - delete.
Page 145: Aushuddho - "Apart from this, because Islam
used extreme inhuman means to establish itself in India,
this became an obstacle for the coming together of Indian
and Islamic cultures." Shuddho - delete.
Book: Bharat Katha by G. Bhattacharya, Bulbul Prakashan.
Page 40: Aushuddho - "Muslims used to take recourse to
torture and inhuman means to force their religious beliefs
and practices on Indians." Shuddho delete.
Page 41: Aushuddho - "The liberal, humane elements in
Islam held out hope for oppressed Hindus." Shuddho The
entire paragraph beginning with "the caste system among
Hindus .... was attacked" is to be deleted. Instead write,
"There was no place for casteism in Islam.
Understandably, the influence of Islam created an
awakening among Hindus against caste discrimination.
Lower caste oppressed Hindus embraced Islam."
Page 77: Aushuddho - "His main task was to oppress non-
believers, especially Hindus." Shuddho - This and the
preceding sentence to be deleted.
Book: Bharuter Itihash by A. C. Roy, published by Prantik.
Page 102: Aushuddho - "There is an account that
Allauddin attacked Chittor to get the beautiful wife of Rana
Rattan Singh, Padmini." Shuddho - delete.
Page 164: Aushuddho - "It was his commitment to Islam
which made him a fundamentalist." Shuddho - delete.
Book: Bharut Kahini by G. C. Rowchoudhury, published by
A.K. Sarkar and Co.
Page 130: Aushuddho - "That is why he adopted the policy
of converting Hindus to Islam so as to increase the number
of Muslims. Those Hindus who refused to discard their
religion were indiscriminately massacred by him or his
generals." Shuddho - delete.
In a word, no forcible conversions, no massacres, no
destruction of temples. Just that Hinduism had created an
exploitative, casteist society. Islam was egalitarian. Hence
the oppressed Hindus embraced Islam!
Muslim historians of those times are in raptures at the heap
of Kafirs who have been dispatched to hell. Muslim
historians are forever lavishing praise on the ruler for the
temples he has destroyed, for the hundreds of thousands he
has got to see the light of Islam. Law books like The
Hedaya prescribe exactly the options to which these little
textbooks alluded. All whitewashed away,
Objective whitewash, for objective history. And today if
anyone seeks to restore truth to these textbooks, the scream,
"Communal rewriting of history."
But there isn't just whitewash of Islam. For after Islam
came another great emancipatory ideology - Marxism-
Leninism.
The teachers furnish extracts from the textbook for Class V.
"...... in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba and in other East
European countries, the workers and peasants are ruling the
country after capturing power, whereas in USA, England,
France and Germany the owners of mills and factories are
ruling the country .
"...... after the revolution in Russia the first exploitation
free society was established."
"...... Islam and Christianity are the only religions which
treated man with honour and equality
Thus, not just whitewash, there is hogwash too.
(Arun Shourie is a writer and a member of the Rajya
Sabha)