Author: Ashoke Dasgupta
Publication: Organiser
Date: January 9, 2005
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=59&page=31
Marxists, being the Marxists they
are, neither can write nor tolerate factual and objective history. The
Marxist ideologue observes the world through the pipeline of 'ism'. Hence,
he is prone to narrate history in such a way that suits the pursued creed
and political regimentation. History and political science textbooks in
West Bengal suffer from such incorrigible, turbid treatment of the Marxists.
The degree course (B.A.) history
syllabi may be observed next; presently only ten instances from the Secondary
and Higher Secondary syllabi may be mentioned.
* The approved textbook, *to start
with the 'Middle Age' of Indian history, states: 'The petty kingdoms that
arose towards the end of the ancient period were wiped out and a centralised
monarchy and system of government was established under the Delhi Sultans.'
A wrong statement is cunningly placed to denote (a) the state-management
policies and skills of Hindu India are matters of the 'ancient period'
only; (b) centralised monarchy and system of governance were introduced
in India by the Turk Sultans only; (c) the described definition of 'petty
kingdoms' exhibits a mindset to malign the people of the land and to put
under carpet the fact that the Delhi Sultans-the Turks-were the foreigners,
invaders and imperialists. Such textbooks could also justify British power
that 'wiped out' the 'petty kingdoms' of Nawabs and decimated the Mughals
in India. Marxists were born and bred by British schemes and they have
innate feelings for the speech Stanely Baldwin made in Britain's House
of Commons in 1929, ".Ages and ages ago there sat, side by side, the ancestors
of the English, Rajputs and Brahmins. Now, after ages. God said to the
British, I have again brought you and the Indians together after a long
separation." Cunning imperialists and the Marxists speak in the same inimical
way!
The textbook also states:
* 'The coming of the Turks was marked
by an urban revolution in India'. Could any statement be more fallible
than this one? No, irreverent talks can't be a part of 'history'.
* 'India became isolated from the
rest of the world towards the end of the ancient period. But from the 10th
century onwards, India restored her contacts with outside world.' The false,
motivated preaching is obviously from British tutelary who promoted such
history-writing to justify British accomplishments in 18th-century India!
* 'Trade and commerce had declined
from 8th century a.d. From 10th century they were revived under Sultani
rule.' Sultani rule in 10th century India! Sultani rule-Balban, Alauddin,
Muhammad Tughlaq-all brutally collected more than 50 per cent of the produce
of the land besides other taxes and discrimina-tions.
* Where to did the wanton exploitation
drag the people? The textbook writer himself pens: 'The tax collectors
forced the ryots to pay their taxes irrespective of their misery and many
people died of starvation, many others left the villages and homes and
became either beggars or dacoits.' Where stands, then, the blunt statement
quoted in the previous point given above?
Further tutorial conclusive statements
are:
* West Bengal indoctrination through
textbooks.
* 'The social democracy of Islam
influenced the Hindu society. Caste rule became mild. Islam contributed
to the rise of the Bhakti cult'.
* 'Romila Thapar has pointed out
that Ashoka was not truly non-violent. He did not dissolve his army, nor
did he return Kalinga to the people of Kalinga'.
* 'According to Dr R.S. Sharma,
Harsha failed to check the growth of feudalism in India'.
* 'Lakshmana Sena was responsible
for his downfall as he divided the people by his caste divisions and religious
orthodoxy'.
* 'The hatred of the upper class
for the lower classes could not save the ruling upper class from the invading
Turks'. Such rubbish rubbles are the 'history' and these flotsams are not
exhaustive but spoonfuls from the bowl of history textbooks in West Bengal.
Pseudo-secular 'historians' are so much indebted to British historians
that they are basically the echo of imperialist Anglo-Saxon voice on Indian
history. Well, 'history' should be 'a serpent under the flower'!
=================
* History of India (for Classes
IX & X) by Provatansu Maity, recommended by West Bengal Board of Secondary
Education, continues from 1987 to 2004. The quotes are from pp 48,71,76,101
of the 2003 edition of the textbook.
