The Hindu : Krishna decries attempts to 'distort' history

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Monday, Dec 29, 2003

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Krishna decries attempts to 'distort' history

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE DEC. 28. The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, on Sunday called upon historians to protest against what he called attempts to distort history.

He was speaking after inaugurating the 64th Indian History Congress hosted by the University of Mysore here. The nation's history was being rewritten to suit a particular ideology and "brainwash" schoolchildren, he said.

It was a matter of concern that "untruths and half-truths" were creeping into history books. Children were being made to read textbooks that misrepresented facts. At a time when attempts were on to ``curtail and eventually do away'' with the autonomy of universities, it was necessary to stand up against such moves. All scientific institutions, he said, were in shackles and historians should unite and protect intellectual honesty by interpreting history in a fair and frank manner.

Recalling the imposition of Emergency in post-Independent India and its status in Indian history, Mr. Krishna said history judged and acknowledged harsh realities. Subsequent Governments had not interfered with the documentation of the Emergency and its aftermaths. Attempts had not been made to influence textbook writers. "As a liberal democrat, I feel it is necessary to discuss contemporary issues in the sessions of the Congress," he said.

Noting that the sessions were of crucial national importance, he said discussions on contemporary issues assumed importance in the light of the attempts to twist and misrepresent facts. "Politicians are masters in misrepresenting facts. But what will happen to society if historians commit that mistake?"

The Chief Minister said: "History can teach and guide us. It also acts as an instrument to rouse people to nation-building activities. Efforts are on to unravel the true perspective of history."

The freedom movement had moulded an entire generation, he said. Referring to the Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru, he said: "The book moulded a generation of people like me, especially on issues associated with nationalism."

India, with its diversity and pluralism, could be compared to only a few countries. "We call our nation a great democracy and we are a great democracy with one of the instruments being universal adult franchise."

More than 1,500 historians representing various academic institutions from across the country are participating in the Congress.

The president of the 64th Indian History Congress, S. Settar, delivered the keynote address.

The outgoing President, J.N. Tripati, the Minister for Cooperation, H. Vishwanath, the Minister for Planning, Institutional Finance, Statistics, and Vocational Education, R.B. Thimmapur, and the Vice-Chancellor of the university, J. Shashidhar Prasad, were present.

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