The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : `Contemporary historians should try to be objective'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 05, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Contemporary historians should try to be objective'

Staff Reporter

Governor T.N. Chaturvedi inaugurates the Forum for Free Thought Governor T.N. Chaturvedi inaugurates the Forum for Free Thought

TRADITIONAL BEGINNING: Governor T.N. Chaturvedi inaugurating the Forum for Free Thought in Bangalore on Friday. (From left) S. Chandrashekar, forum convener; H.A. Ranganath, Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University; Ramachandra Guha, historian; and R. N.M. Sahai, Registrar of the university, are seen.

BANGALORE: "The Forum for Free Thought is a unique platform that will help students, faculty and academics in interacting and sharing their knowledge," said Governor T.N. Chaturvedi on Friday.

He was speaking after inaugurating the forum on Jnana Bharati campus of Bangalore University. The forum is meant to provide a common interactive platform for students, faculty and educationists. The university plans to organise interaction programmes every month for the benefit of students.

`Excellent opportunity'

The Governor said, "This forum provides an excellent opportunity for students to widen their knowledge base. These monthly interactions will help students in developing their personality."

He said the participation of non-governmental organisations and academics would enhance the purpose of the forum.

Historian Ramachandra Guha spoke on "Challenges of contemporary history".

He stressed the importance of documenting contemporary history.

Challenges

"Historians are bound to face challenges in doing so as the active documentation ended on August 15, 1947. Ironically, students are now being taught that it was after Independence that sociology and anthropology studies began," he said.

Mr. Guha said lack of primary sources had added to the confusion. Readers in the contemporary period were bound to have their own opinions on various issues. So contemporary historians should try to be objective.

He said contemporary historians were misleading people by branding the ideological differences between Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel as a "fight" though they complemented each other.

He said India's strength was being a multi-lingual country unlike her neighbours where a single language was predominant, culminating in language-based conflicts.

Better exposure

S. Chandrashekar, convener the forum, said, "As the events will cover topics ranging from rudimentary to rocket science, everybody can hope for better exposure of thoughts."

H.A. Ranganath, Vice-Chancellor of the university, and R.N.M. Sahai, Registrar, were present.

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