What inspires this essay is a book called Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen on American history, but implies so much to Indian context.
Text books and history are written by a winner, the quote is attributed to Winston Churchill, but many have contradicted the assertion.
Charaans and Bhaat of Rajasthan are two prominent castes in Ancient India that glorified and exaggerated the winning king by writing history and poetry of a particular king and were bestowed with jewels and gold from royal treasury. Medieval Rajput were known for these glorious literary works, many written under influence of opium and alcohol. Babarnama on the first great Moghul of India was no different. British rulers of India and their history was taught in Indian high schools as late as 1957, even ten years after British salvaged themselves from India.
There are people in India that object to stories of Prithvi raj Chohan, and how Delhi saltant lost to Babar from Mongolia, how British bluffed Indian nawabs who became complicit from warriors to drunken fools, how Gandhi won by non violence, how Hindu Mahasabha became killer of Gandhi and was discredited as a terrible institute.
When winners write history text for children they are biased and are bound to be wrong. By this token every teacher teaches lies to children. The book sites example of Obama in 2008 and Trump 2016 Inaugurations. One shows ocean of people and other show green patches. Both are interpreted differently according to who believed in what ideology.
One great thing about internet age is the availability of information on web. More material is available on any subject, in thousands upon thousands of pages, more than ever before in the history of civilization. Curious can find and figure their own truth.
Just like America, my teacher tells me lies but now I will find truth myself, be it Gandhi or Pratap or Babar. Historian and an icon Oliver Stone thinks it was Roosevelt who forced on Churchill to let India go from empire’s clutches so that Americans find more prospect of business from free India than the empire allowed them. In India we are taught it was Mahatma Gandhi and his satyagraha. But the shattered Britain and the American charity to devastated Europe does make some sense that Americans played a role in Indian freedom.
In conclusion, one good thing we all can agree upon, internet hides nothing, the true ‘democracier’, equalizer.
Above is a personal opinion and does not reflect our editorial views
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