Karnataka government’s move to consider dropping Tipu Sultan from school textbooks is ridiculous. Instead, students deserve a nuanced understanding about a brave Mysore ruler who fought the British but also had a complex legacy on religion. BJP’s CM Yediyurappa should focus on governance because divisive issues have a short life.
Centre, states must stop passing the buck on Delhi pollution, fight menace in emergency mode
That stubble burning contributed 35% to Delhi’s air pollution two days after Diwali proves Punjab and Haryana have failed to tackle this problem and are passing the buck. The lungs of lakhs of people aren’t toys for political games. The Centre and states should fight this together in emergency mode.
Historiography has never been India’s forte. Tell facts, without judgment, without prejudice. However, where are the facts? A lot is hearsay; very less is documented.
Prof. Jon Wilson (King’s College) wouldn’t lose sleep over his book ‘India Conquered’ as we Indians do on ‘Padmavat’; Aurengzeb; and Gandhi‘s love for Nehru and differences with Savarkar.
Historians collect and differentiate between primary and secondary evidence. They then put it all together where different historians can provide different interpretations while staying consistent the evidence. In India, history was hijacked by the Marxists. So what you see is massive interpretive overreach often ignoring primary evidence all together. This was done to serve ideology. In the case of Tipu Sultan we have primary evidence of his views, in his own words. Yet history was white washed. Now we have a reaction to that. Unfortunately, that reaction isn’t led by historians mainly because Marxist historians controlled the research and funding, and they simply did not permit research that could go against their dogmas. So most of the current historians have grown up steeped in left wing ideology and aren’t as interested in pursuing directions that would go again established doctrines.
Tipu Sultan’s legacy must be understood in the context of his fight against the British and his hatred for Hindus. I agree with your opinion. But it must be asked: did you express similar opinions when history was being white washed?
Karnataka’s capital is India’s Silicon Valley, created by leaders who had a vision for the state and the country. That is something to build upon. India’s progress has sometimes been halting, uneven in pace, but there was never any doubt that we were moving in the right direction, to a better future for our children.
The atmosphere, like the ocean, does not respect man made boundaries. How could one possibly demarcate the jurisdiction of CMs of Delhi, Haryana and UP for the noxious fumes that may cut the lifespan of Indians by upto seven years. Delhi, Gurgaon and NOIDA are part of a compact entity where clearly the Centre is required to take a leadership and a coordinating role. Too much of modern governance has become like a 9 pm TV debate – finding fault with political opponents, passing the buck, denying for as long as possible that a problem even exists. Find solutions, take the country forward.