Author: Devendra Swaroop
Publication: Organiser
Date: July 2, 2006
URL: http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=137&page=26
"The most prominent among these new
leaders were Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai and Aurobindo
Ghosh. They came to be known as extremists." (Modern India, Social Science,
Part 1, Arjun Dev & Indira Arjun Dev, Class VIII)
"But the revolutionary young men did
not try to generate a mass revolution. Instead, they decided to copy the methods
of the Irish terrorists and the Russian Nihilists, that is, to assassinate
two unpopular officials. A beginning had been made in this direction when
in 1897 the Chapekar brothers assassinated two unpopular British officials
at Poona. In 1904, VD Savarkar had organised the Abhinava Bharat, a secret
society of revolutionaries. After 1905, several newspapers had begun to advocate
revolutionary terrorism. The Sandhya and Yugantar in Bengal, and the Kal in
Maharashtra were the most prominent among them. (Modern India, Bipin Chandra,
Class XII)
"Terrorism too gradually petered out.
In fact, terrorism as a political weapon was bound to fail. It would not mobilise
the masses; in fact it had no base among the people. But the terrorists did
make a valuable contribution to the growth of nationalism in India. As a historian
has put it, 'they gave us back the pride of our manhood. Because of their
heroism, the terrorists became immensely popular among their compatriots even
though most of politically conscious people did not agree with their political
approach. (Modern India, Bipin Chandra, Class XII)
These are some of the passages that have been
mentioned in the history textbooks. It is shocking that the expert committee
constituted by the NCERT should try to justify the use of the words terrorism
and terrorists for the revolutionary movement, which form one of the most
glorious and inspiring phase of our long and august freedom struggle. Perceptive
nationalist historians have described it as first war of independence but
it seems our Marxist historians still love to use the language of their colonial
masters. It is beyond our imagination that great patriots like Lokmanya Tilak,
Lala Lajpat Rai, Hardyal, Khudi Ram Bose could be termed as terrorists by
any present Indian historians.
See some more passages.
"With the collapse of Japan in the War during 1944-45 the INA too met
defeat and Subhas Bose was killed in an aeroplane accident on his way to Tokyo."
(Modern India, Bipin Chandra, Class XII)
"However the attempt to liberate India
by the Azad Hind Fauj failed." (Modern India, Bipin Chandra, Class XII)
The expert committee still holds the view
that Netaji Subash Bose died in an air crash. They do not take note of the
powerful opinion, which was recently echoed by the Mukherji Commission, that
all the evidences available to it go to prove that Netaji did not die in an
air crash. This view is supported by the official statement from Government
of Taiwan. Leftist elergy for Netaji is too well known. The filthy abuses
such as Tojo's dog hurled upon are deeply engraved in the national memory.
But to pass a verdict that "The attempt
to liberate India by Azad Hind Fauj failed" is to display complete ignorance
of the fact that the formation and patriotic role, played by the Azad Hind
Fauj, was an important factor in the British withdrawal from India. Contemporary
parliamentary debates and media reports in Britain testify this notion.
Now have a look at this passage. "Political
movements based on their ideas grew in almost every part of the world with
a view to establishing socialism. In 1917 the first successful revolution
of the type advocated by these thinkers occurred in Russia. It resulted in
the overthrow of the autocratic rule of Czars." (Modern India, Social
Science Part 1, Arjun Dev & Indira Arjun Dev, Class VIII)
History books need revision and updating in
the light of latest historical data and researches. The recent re-evaluation
of 1917 political change in Russia demands that Lenin and the so-called revolution
ought to be presented in right perspective. Now in Russia Czars are being
rehabilitated and the tyranny and dictatorial methods of Lenin are being exposed
on the basis of new archives data.
(The author is a noted historian and columnist.)
