History is a bit overrated

The rewriting of textbooks is important if we want future generations of India to be able to think pure thoughts

I am not a fan of history as a subject because I think it is a bit overrated. I’m pretty sure some of the wisest people in this country share that sentiment, especially the ones currently shepherding us all towards global supremacy, one Vande Bharat train at a time. Do we need to focus on history at all when there are more important subjects such as homoeopathy and astrology to consider? Shouldn’t they be treated with more respect than they are currently given in school curricula?

I was reminded of why I dislike history a month or so ago, when a political row over textbooks generated a lot of unnecessary antagonism in the press. Accusations and insults were exchanged by multiple people. The issue in question reportedly affected students studying political science in Grade XII, who were given revised textbooks. Apparently, these new books omitted references to a few minor skirmishes in what everyone knows is India’s most peaceful state, Gujarat.

Textbooks are probably being rewritten all the time without our knowledge, some presumably to rectify errors, others because a politician doesn’t like being eclipsed by a more intelligent or qualified predecessor. Honestly, it’s hard to keep track of, given that we have more urgent issues to contend with in the real world. This is also why I thought the issue of history being rewritten was blown out of proportion. So what if a few million schoolchildren would grow up being a little less informed? Since when was illiteracy a crime? Was it really an impediment in a country where people accused of rape, murder, or extortion, routinely manage to hold ministerial portfolios? I would go so far as to argue that being misinformed is now mandatory for one to find success in the new and improved India 2.0.

Luckily, the rewriters of history had a bit of official support on their side. The director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training—an organisation allegedly tasked with edifying the country and making at least some young people employable in the future—rightly pointed out that this was a non-issue because the new textbooks would avoid creating ‘violent and depressed individuals.’ It was an extremely perceptive comment, because it reminded me of thousands of people I have interacted with over the years, many of whom would never have struggled with depression if it weren’t for an errant textbook at school. I thought of lives that could have been saved, and safe streets we would all have access to, if it weren’t for the wrong kind of history lessons taught in school until now.

Another thing the NCERT director pointed out was the futility of teaching students about communal riots. He spoke of protecting them from hate, and what the true purpose of education should be. I assumed this was directed only towards innocent students who had no access to political speeches made during the last election, but applauded the sentiment, nonetheless. After all, hate has been almost eliminated from our public discourse in recent years, so why look at minor mistakes from the past?

I, too, believe that students don’t need to know anything about riots. Why should they be told about a political and religious rally in 1990, for example, which triggered violence across the country, left hundreds dead in its wake and changed the face of India permanently? Sure, millions were affected by the event, but that doesn’t mean millions more need to hear about it. What do we teach them next, that Hitler was a real person? How does it matter and where is one to draw the line? It’s not as if we have supporters of Nazism to worry about in these parts.

I sometimes wonder why we bother wasting time with our horrible past at all. Everyone knows it is ancient India alone that deserves attention and respect for inventing everything. Everyone knows this was the most amazing country in the world until foreign invaders turned up. Why can’t textbooks restrict themselves to what happened a few thousand years ago, instead of wasting time on riots, religion or criminals who escaped jail and ended up on Marg Darshak Mandals? 

Textbooks should be created and approved only by people qualified to oversee them. Only someone with a degree in Entire Political Science, for instance, can be trusted to decide whether a riot needs attention, whether human rights abuses have taken place somewhere, or if a state like Manipur deserves to be mentioned anywhere at all. 

When he isn’t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira

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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper

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