On Aryan Invasion Theory and Harappan Civilization at JNU 6 NOV 2015

Talk given On Aryan Invasion Theory and Harappan Civilization at JNU 6 NOV 2015

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Speech at JNU on 6 Nov 2015

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ICHR to map ancient Indian scientific achievements - Indian Express

ICHR to map ancient Indian scientific achievements

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/history-council-to-map-ancient-indian-scientific-achievements/

Q: In what could define the thrust of historical research under the NDA government, the Indian Council Of Historical Research (ICHR) has decided to pursue two new projects, including one on mapping the country’s scientific achievements starting from the Vedic era up to the 18th century.

A: The council, reconstituted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development nine months ago, met on September 23, when it also approved a proposal to map the history of environmental science in the country from ancient times to the modern era.

The ICHR will draft historians to study ancient literature — Vedas, Puranas, Dharmasastras, Artha Sastra, Vedanga Jyotisha, Rasasastra and Vastu Sastra — to trace the country’s achievements in astronomy, chemistry, cosmology, botany, ayurveda, architecture, aesthetics and military technology, among other technical and scientific disciplines.

“Early orientalists like Sir Monier Williams were surprised to see great advances of ancient Indians in the development of various disciplines of science and art. The development of Indian sciences had been continuous till our colonial beginnings. We also find amazing strides in the development of science in Pali literature — both Buddhist and Jain — and later in Persian literature and vernacular literatures,” ICHR chairman Y Sudershan Rao said in an email response to The Indian Express.

India’s achievements in science and technology have been in focus ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi used examples from the Mahabharata and Ramayana to illustrate the country’s scientific temperament in ancient times.

Rao said he was certain the new proposals will not ruffle any feathers. “I am speaking of objective history of the past. I don’t think any historian would have any reservations for these efforts of ICHR. However, I welcome any suggestions for the refinement or improvement of these projects. I welcome any constructive criticism for improvement of the themes and methodological approaches,” he said.

The council’s second project aims to map “the history of environmental consciousness in the country”, which is “very much evident in our ancient texts starting from the Vedas”. 

“It seems the ancient people were very cautious in preserving the environment even while they were planning to expand their economic activity to meet the demands of growing population. Today, it is the other way around. This project will trace the history of our effort in safeguarding the natural environment and strategies adopted for healthy living,” Rao said.

The ICHR’s aim is to finish the projects in three years. The council will constitute an expert committee, an advisory panel and a monitoring committee for each of the two proposals to finalise their implementation. While the council has not earmarked a budget for the ambitious projects, it wants to raise funds from external sources, in addition to regular grants from the government.

“The corporate, business houses and philanthropists may come forward to sponsor major research projects for general good of humanity and society,” Rao said. The ICHR’s annual allocation for 2015-16 is approximately Rs 19 crore, of which Rs 8 crore is allocated for research and fellowship grants.

Apart from the two proposals, the Council has also approved the translation of Dutch texts on Indian history, in addition to the ongoing translation of French sources.

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Business Standard interview - Original Transcript

Interview given to Business Standard.

Sir, you have been a target of a concerted campaign by a section of historians and academicians. The allegation against you is that you have been appointed to appropriate history to suit RSS’s notion of history. Even Amartya Sen had said that you have not done any worthwhile historical research. What do you have to say about it?

A : Prof Amartya Sen’s coin, ‘Argumentative Indian’, very well applies to the present generation of Indian intellectual class. Ancient Indian intellectual tradition was based on Tarka wherein two discussants would put forth before the assembly of scholars what all they know about the contested topic supported by pramana. The merits and demerits of this intellectual exercise were assessed by the collegium and one would gracefully acknowledge the weakness of his proposition. The judgement was objective and impartial. You can take the example of Sankaracarya and Mandana Mishra where Mandana  Mishra’s wife was the judge. Mandana Mishra accepted his defeat, took to sanyasa  and became Sankara’s disciple. The present class of ‘argumentative intellectuals’ thrive by condemning others and their views. Their arguments mostly follow their political ideologues. The idea of ‘appropriating  history’ is generated from the idea of political aggrandizement. One becomes vocal and vociferous when he imagines a threat to his holding. Not being an ‘ Argumentative Indian’, I might have disappointed Prof Amartya Sen and the like. Their disillusionment is unbearable to them that they set aside minimum decency and courtesy to condemn the other without atleast knowing about him. However I thank them for showing interest in me and I take their comments in good stead for my introspection.

In one of the interviews, you have said that there was a need to look history from an Indian perspective. What is the problem with the Marxist or for that matter Western narrative or approach to historiography?  Why at all there is a need for an Indian perspective?

A: Your question itself says that we have been ‘looking’ at our history from the Western window. The post independent historiography till now is dominated by the Marxist thought. All our historical perspectives are based on the Western theories on society, economy and culture. We can easily identify the birth of these social theories in the ‘Enlightenment Era’ in Europe. These theories and understandings, are, thus, based on the European experience limited to a few centuries. Even if we apply empiricist methods of Social Sciences to the historical studies, the wider sample is always desirable. In such case, India offers a huge corpus of inscriptions, artefacts and monuments dating back to atleast 4 millennia. The much developed orature backed by continuous, well developed civilization, stable society, prosperous economy and diversified religious practices, profound knowledge systems and philosophies from times unknown must be more welcome for an unbiased historian to work on. Let us see history as it stands before us without using a coloured glass in the guise of ‘proper’ perspective.  General people believe that intellectuals would lead them to know what is/was real. We historians have greater responsibility than a general intellectual.

According to newspaper reports, there is an effort to push back the antiquity of the Vedas by some Vedic scholars.  Is ICHR associated with this project? What is your idea of the antiquity of the Vedas?

A: Vedic studies is not a recent phenomenon. The study of Vedas has been continuous since times much before our ‘historical’ period has begun. We need not try to ‘push’ its antiquity backwards. The efforts of dating Vedic literature by the Western scholars and English knowing Indian scholars are also known to us from atleast two centuries. In the pre-independence  period, the problem drew the attention of both Colonial and National intellectuals and in the post independent period the Marxist school took the brief from the Colonial and Imperialist school coming in the way of every sincere effort to find the truth. Not only archaeologists, many other scientists belonging to disciplines, geology, anthropology, astronomy etc have attempted in their ways to find the antiquity of ancient civilization in India. A scientist searching for truth must be open minded to accept what comes out in his research. The present trend of hypothetical research and trying to justify our own hypothesis does harm  historical studies. A historian should allow himself to be led by his data. He should not resort to select data to confirm his opinion. Marxist school starts with the assumption that the present is definitely better that the past. This determinism conditions the writing of history. While Marx could substantiate this linear progression with his understanding of European past, India offers a totally different picture where astonishing culture and civilization coexisted with uncivilized but cultured tribal life each thriving in peaceful coexistence. Civilisation too had several levels of  development simultaneously at several pockets. The same phenomenon still continues in India while the West has gone for a uniform pattern. These aspects of Indian life and culture offers great inspiration and scope to the present genre of historians to work on.

This move will bring back the debate on the Aryan invasion theory. What is your view on the Aryan invasion theory?

The fathers of this theory have denounced it after they realized during the Second World War that they burnt their fingers. But it was continued in Indian intellectual circles further for some years in the post independent era but they too had to moderate the theory as ‘Aryan Migration’. Colonial mind is  deeply entrenched in  Indian psyche that they some how want to keep it alive for purposes better known to them.

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ICHR Projects: Native states

ICHR Projects: Native states 

ICHR has identified certain new areas in the ancient, medieval and modern periods of Indian History which have hitherto been paid no attention by the ICHR so far and very less attention was paid by individual scholars. The projects on history of Indian Science and Technology and Environmental history will be covering both ancient and late medieval times the project on Indian Princely States, another area which did not attract much attention by Indian scholars where as the western scholars are divided into two groups arguing for and against the Indian princes. Western scholars, like Barbara Ramusack, Ian Copland, Thomas R Metcalf, John McLeod, Manu Bhagawan, Waltraud Ernst and Biswamoy Pati, have attempted critical assessment of their role in the British period of Indian history. Some others tried to attract the lay readers with spicy tales about some princes.

There were about 565 princes by the time when the English withdrew from India. Most of them were very insignificant estates. But, almost one-third of India was under their direct rule. Surprisingly, most of them enjoyed respect and reverence of their peoples till the last and their influence was also felt much on their respective areas in the coming three general elections. Nawab of Bhopal said at one time that his people, most of them were Hindus, regarded him as a deity while his Muslim subjects though loved him had reservations. Most of the present works were mostly concerning about major states like Mysore, Hyderabad, Baroda, Bhopal. But, the other medium level states like Cooch Bihar, Travancore were not sufficiently focused. Some of them had survived many vicissitudes braving the rough tides for about a millennium. They strove to preserve, protect and keep alive, though playing at low key and handed down to us whatever we call it ‘Indian’ today. Most of ancient manuscripts can still be traced in the estate libraries.

The part of India under the Princes’ rule is quite justifiably referred to ‘Native India’ during the British period. But they were not considered sympathetically by the Colonial  writers and the Marxist analysts for obvious reasons. Surprisingly, the nationalistic scholars were also not sympathetic to them though most of these princes had attempted modern reforms –social, economic, educational, administrative and political- within their capabilities and resources.  In the post independent era, they disappeared unceremoniously and unwept.

This project covering those states which did not receive much attention of the scholars like Cooch Bihar in the first phase and the others in its second phase is approved in principle and the members of ICHR, Prof Nikhilesh Guha, Dr Saradindu, Prof Purabi Roy in association with other experts in the field will fine tune the project and place on the web-site for comments and suggestions very shortly.

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Indian Express Interview 31st Oct 2015 - Original Transcript on intolerance issue

The Indian Express:

1.    Do you agree with the sentiment expressed by historians in the statement given below? Do you feel there is an atmosphere of growing intolerance in country.

A: Every sensible civilian would condemn any crime whether it is done to an intellectual or any other. The citizen forums can bring pressures on the Law and Order machinery to take immediate action and book the criminals when such offences  become more frequent. The intellectual section of the population may discuss and suggest ways and means to prevent such crimes being more frequent. Protests against any crime is welcome but not ‘in any form’ one chooses as Prof Irfan Habib decrees (TOI, 31oct). The writers and artists are by nature more sensitive and emotional than others. A few of them might have reacted in a haste instinctively and emotionally. The protests from others that followed are quite deliberate. The work of art receives honours and recognition for its merit but its merit is not dependent on them. The art remains for any longer and through it the artist is remembered. The awardees accepted the awards, felt greatly elevated, have been enjoying the pride by inserting them in their CVs, enjoyed several felicitations on this account and received recognition in the society for years. Now what are they going to surrender? The value of it or the letter of  its communication?  They should realise that each award has an inestimable value which is intangible. So, we earnestly appeal to the artists and writers kindly to retrospect and retain their awards not for anybody’s sake but for their works which gave them recognition in the society. 

But, the protests of Scientists and  Social Scientists who claim to have been trained in the application of  ‘analytical tools’ with ‘rigours’ backed by  ‘scientific temper’ are quite un’professional’ and unwarranted. Let them think coolly, employ their ‘tools’, deliberate on ‘growing intolerance’ and come out with their suggestions to curb or curtail ‘intolerance’ instead of resorting to political strategies. Among all others, historians have a greater role to play in identifying the  causal factors for the ‘growing intolerance’.

2.    Ministers in the central government have called protests by writers and other personalities as "manufactured protests". Do you agree with that? 

A: Any thing produced by human action is known to have been  ‘manufactured’. The Social Scientists are aware that the man is known as ‘maker of tools’ applying which he produces the goods or commodities.  The process of this exercise is generally known as ‘manufacturing’. The signed protest from various scientists and social scientists among whom there are some ‘eminent historians’ drawn from different places of the country did not descend from the Blue as a flash. It was a product of a coordinated human effort backed by a premeditated plan of action, of course ‘rigorously’ pursued. Any doubt?

3.    The statement by historians says, "What the regime seems to want is a kind of legislated history, a manufactured image of the past, glorifying certain aspects of it and denigrating others, without any regard for chronology, sources or methods of enquiry that are the building blocks of the edifice of history." Your response.

A: These historians have been engaged since at least four decades in producing the school text books, reference books for colleges, prescribing syllabi for the universities and all competitive examinations, holding their firm grip on all academic funding bodies and central universities. So far what ever is read or studied at popular level  in the name of Indian history are only the products of this section of historians. Can they name any single work or any research endeavour from ICHR during this short span of one year which could be termed as ‘legislated history’.  The above complaint or condemnation would comfortably apply to the products  of history commissioned by this ‘group of historians’.

4.    Lastly, sir, what is your opinion on the current debate on beef eating? While some quarters have called for a national ban on sale and consumption of beef, others have protested saying that what one eats is a matter of privacy and the state has no right to legislate on that. Your view. 

A: I am surprised every time our so called ‘intellectuals’ raise an issue which fails to satisfy common sense. They stretch the concept individual freedom  too long that the term ‘freedom’ looses its sense. Let them define what is ‘privacy’. Now a day, people are not feeling shy for eating whatever they want in public restaurants. These ‘intellectuals’ shout from roof-tops claiming the civic rights for the convicted ghastly criminals and plead for the rights of those who took to arms against civil government and kill the citizens. One way, they demand that the animals should not be used for entertainment in Circus or films. But they can kill and eat the animals and sell the food products for commercial exploitation. Don’t they know how these animals are skinned and their bones are mechanically separated from flesh while making them stand alive in the so called modern abattoirs. The compassion they plead for wild animals and birds is not observed for killing, packing and exporting the meat for profit. Some animals and birds are reared for food and some for load bearing, agricultural operations and transport. Leaving aside the religious sentiments of the people, man at least for his own selfish needs should allow such animals with their calves to live till they are able to serve him.

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