BY DR.ABDUL AHAD
These WhatsApp and Twitter Universities and filmmakers are religiously focused on promoting the idea that Indian history needs to be rewritten as it has been written by detractors. This is exactly what P. N. Oak believed once upon a time. He wrote: Bharat Ka Etihaas Bharat Kay Shatruon Dawra Likha Gaya Hai? (India’s history has been written by its enemies). Like him, they are altering historical evidences to falsify the authentic history and whatever does not suit their ideology, pursuing fervently what their predecessor in the field had set out to accomplish by proclaiming brazenly that the old historical mosques and monuments of the Sultans and the Mughals, including, the eighth wonder of the world, Taj Mahal were built on Vedic temples. This is sheer propaganda which actually has no historical legs to stand upon; just an empty rhetoric floated to strengthen the stage set for converting history into a Bomb Factory. Evidendtly Eric Hobsbawm, British historian’s following famous quote is perfectly and completely vindicated by this unhistorical assertion:
” The profession of history is not as injurious as physics. But even it can be dangerous. History can anytime get converted into a bomb factory. That situation we are affected into different ways. Firstly it is our duty to put historical truth in front of the people and secondly criticize the history made up with political ideological intentions”.
Conveniently are, thus, fables concocted by these Universities and filmmakers and film actors to arouse irrational zeal and interest among the people in the fictitious past, driving them towards credulity and bigotry of unprecedented nature, and turning them on the people not subscribing to their religion. These fictional stories instigate the plebeians to give bloodcurdling calls in Haridwar at a Dharma Sansad, for enacting Rohingya in India to ensure ethnic cleansing and genocide of Muslims.
According to one estimate Oaks books have become bestselling stuff these days which has of course further enthused/encouraged the functionaries of the Universities to publicize Vedic past as the fountain of science, technology and knowledge, and Middle Ages as too dark to have fostered evil, rap, and crime. They have been too influential to persuade Parliament Panel (2021) to reccomend rewriting history books with special inclusion of teachings from Bhagavad Gita and Vedas.
The History Bomb Factory is seriously engaged in changing Godse from villain/killer into a hero to be worshipped by the people. Similarly Savarkar is let go out of fake history bottle to replace Gandhi as the father of Indian nation. He is frequently summoned along with his ideology to grant the majority-wish to constrict the mobility of non-Hindus by lynching them publicly and with the whiplash of love jihad etc, etc. He is used to drive people to hate and fight enemies who belong to an out-group and strengthen majority-amity and minority-enmity.
In their race for lucrative careers even some archaeologists have fallen prey to the baits of the said Universities. They have undertaken the service of justifying the false narratives by providing “archaeological evidence” not only to the prevalence of Shiva worship in Harappan sites but also to the existence of Baburi Masjid on the crutches of an old temple. With such phoney evidences the functionaries develop their narratives which are further supported by the anti-Mughal writings of Jadunath Sarkar and Mujumdar. The works of both these authors are solely based on colonial view of Indian history which justifies religion as a determining factor of identity formation in India. They are among the major sources of inspiration behind the growing narrative that is unrelentingly thrusting a religious identity upon the people, not allowing the objective, rational voice to make any noise.
The patronized narrative has become so pervasive that it doesn’t shy away from using coercion and intimidation to scuttle the voice of dissent. It ensures that the rationale voice is lost in the wilderness and there prevails complete silence to make it conveniently possible for people like Swami Prabhdananda to call “politicians, the police, the army and every Hindu to pick up arms to conduct cleanliness drive( Safai Abhiyan). There is no solution apart from this”.
Taking cue from him, the plebeians spew venom day and night while demanding “genocide” of Muslims. And then, Pooja Shakun Pandey brazenly says, “If a hundred of us are ready to kill two million of them, then we will win in making India a Hindu nation.”
The growing phenomenon of hate has assumed dangerous proportions, rendering the pusillanimously timid powers (that be) to be mere spectators, stirring them least to denounce the brazen display of racism and violence against the Muslims. Their ever increasing deaf-mute and blind demeanour has resulted in open violation of minority rights guaranteed by the constitution. The all-pervading culture of official silence plus public excitement over hateful behaviour of Baghats have extended the wings of Bomb Factory to Christians as well, prompting Karnataka’s BJP MP, Tejaswi Sury to spew venom against the minorities on 26 December 2021 in these words:
“Muslims or Christians, who have undergone religious conversion, should be brought back into the fold of Hinduism and all mutts and temples should have annual targets for completion of such religious re- conversions”.
The History Bom Factory has made people so intolerant that they have even lost the patience to see a Muslim girl or woman in hijab and listen to the following Urdu poem of poet Iqbal:
“Lab pe aati hay duwa bun kay tamanna meri
Zendagi shama ki soorut ho
Khudaya meri”
Sung as a prayer by children in one of the UP schools. The head master of the school was suspended for this “sin” described as a security risk by a Babu ( District officer).
Thus, the History Factory is unwittingly determined to inaugurate a civil war that is fraught with the consequences of bringing disintegration in its wake to make the Subcontinent the arena of blazing fire.
….Concluded
Dr. Ahad has authored: Kashmir to Frankfurt; Kashmir Rediscovered; Kashmir: Triumphs & Tragedies; Legends of Unsung Heroes (forthcoming); Kashmir: Unrevelling the Unknown
