Were Indians Ever Shocked by Their History
Yet to be completed Thought. No Apologies to Alberuni because I am going to present a different view not as a nationalist history student but in line of Ranke School of Thought.
August 10, 2009
Yet to be completed Thought. No Apologies to Alberuni because I am going to present a different view not as a nationalist history student but in line of Ranke School of Thought.
January 20, 2009
Emancipation Proclamation Breaths to Life
The oath taking ceremony of Barack Obama, as the 44th President of United State of America is going to take place today that is January 20, 2009. I am writing this in India at 7.49 pm in way to feel the history as it breaths to life. I remember that it was Lincoln who spoke what latter became as Emancipation Proclamation. It read that on first day of 1863 all persons held as slaves in areas in rebellion against the United States were to be then, thenceforward and forever free.
The slaves mentioned in there were African Americans. However, nothing changed for them. In 1865, there took place the Amendment XIII which read, “Section 1, Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall existed within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Then came the Article XIV adopted in 1868. It read, “Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to ay person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2. Representatives Shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of person in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of Electors for President and Vice-President of the Unites States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a State, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty one years of age and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or Elector of President and vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officers of any State, support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in the insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability.
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States, or any claim for the loss of emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Finally Article XV was adopted in 1870.
It read, “Section 1. The right of citizens of the Unites States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude.
The above mentioned terms and vision has been nurtured further by the blood of Martin Luther King. However, finally, today, it has starting breathing.
It is for the Europe to see that the democratic principles and the human rights as envisaged by them are made to work in North America. It is for Islamic world to see that if there is to be fight then it should be against the divisions based on colour, race, and place of origin.
However, I believe this is again a stage in gradual revelation of thought through man in nature. The process will continue and United State will soon bring in female President. It will be the final Emancipation and culmination of Abolitionism.
I love my country Bharat. I am proud to be an Indian. I admire United States of America for the achievement which she has shown now in the 21st century.
Sources used: Bailyn, Davis, Donald, Thomas, Wiebe, Wood, The Great Republic: A History of the American People, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. New Delhi.
The slaves mentioned in there were African Americans. However, nothing changed for them. In 1865, there took place the Amendment XIII which read, “Section 1, Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall existed within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Then came the Article XIV adopted in 1868. It read, “Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to ay person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2. Representatives Shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of person in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of Electors for President and Vice-President of the Unites States, Representatives in Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a State, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty one years of age and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or Elector of President and vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officers of any State, support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in the insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability.
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States, or any claim for the loss of emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Finally Article XV was adopted in 1870.
It read, “Section 1. The right of citizens of the Unites States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, colour, or previous condition of servitude.
The above mentioned terms and vision has been nurtured further by the blood of Martin Luther King. However, finally, today, it has starting breathing.
It is for the Europe to see that the democratic principles and the human rights as envisaged by them are made to work in North America. It is for Islamic world to see that if there is to be fight then it should be against the divisions based on colour, race, and place of origin.
However, I believe this is again a stage in gradual revelation of thought through man in nature. The process will continue and United State will soon bring in female President. It will be the final Emancipation and culmination of Abolitionism.
I love my country Bharat. I am proud to be an Indian. I admire United States of America for the achievement which she has shown now in the 21st century.
Sources used: Bailyn, Davis, Donald, Thomas, Wiebe, Wood, The Great Republic: A History of the American People, Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. New Delhi.
January 12, 2009
RTI as a Research Tool in History
Is anyone surprised by the title of this post?
Well, I am not giving any thesis here. I am not going to talk about invention which I may use in research in history in India or on India. I believe that whatsoever I am going to say here had been somewhere already referred to on H-Asia list from where I am presently de-listed because I have given @satyam.net.in email address.
Now I come to the point. I fear the infringement of copyright of some website as well being of plagiarism, so I will suggest the readers to visit the motive(about) page of the National Security Archive of USA. I intently emphasis that the readers from India attentively read that how the George Washington University has used Freedom of Information of Act. I believe or you may say that I have assumed that it is somewhat similar to Right to Information Act 2005 of India. I could have done some more google on it but a recent research says that every search on google produce CO2 which is not environment friendly, therefore, I am only giving importance to the content of the page. The page further gives detail on how the archive of university is using FIA for the collection of data - an important step in the historic research. It has also shared its other and further activities.
Now, I just wonder that can the similar thing be done in India by the people engaged in the field of history?
Well, I know that there are people who had sought information on the case of Subash Chander Bose. I think, that it can be a good question or experiment to execute in India. I think if I am able to frame my idea well, I can do PhD which I have not yet done and now Sixth Pay commission will not allow me to attach word Professor to my name if I do not do or get it done or purchase PhD. (No apologies if I have trampled on the tails of many of PhDs and ready to face the music if any agency want to prosecute me for saying such a thing in such a generalized manner for all the PhDs).
And one more important point which I will like to make full force and emphasize. I have visited three of the de-classified documents on Columbian police. All the pages were in PDF form and I have not faced any difficulty in reproducing them on my computer. In case of online resources in India, you face such difficulties. Has anyone recently visited Digital history of India? For me, I now generally route my search through the pages of Wikipedia.
Well, I am not giving any thesis here. I am not going to talk about invention which I may use in research in history in India or on India. I believe that whatsoever I am going to say here had been somewhere already referred to on H-Asia list from where I am presently de-listed because I have given @satyam.net.in email address.
Now I come to the point. I fear the infringement of copyright of some website as well being of plagiarism, so I will suggest the readers to visit the motive(about) page of the National Security Archive of USA. I intently emphasis that the readers from India attentively read that how the George Washington University has used Freedom of Information of Act. I believe or you may say that I have assumed that it is somewhat similar to Right to Information Act 2005 of India. I could have done some more google on it but a recent research says that every search on google produce CO2 which is not environment friendly, therefore, I am only giving importance to the content of the page. The page further gives detail on how the archive of university is using FIA for the collection of data - an important step in the historic research. It has also shared its other and further activities.
Now, I just wonder that can the similar thing be done in India by the people engaged in the field of history?
Well, I know that there are people who had sought information on the case of Subash Chander Bose. I think, that it can be a good question or experiment to execute in India. I think if I am able to frame my idea well, I can do PhD which I have not yet done and now Sixth Pay commission will not allow me to attach word Professor to my name if I do not do or get it done or purchase PhD. (No apologies if I have trampled on the tails of many of PhDs and ready to face the music if any agency want to prosecute me for saying such a thing in such a generalized manner for all the PhDs).
And one more important point which I will like to make full force and emphasize. I have visited three of the de-classified documents on Columbian police. All the pages were in PDF form and I have not faced any difficulty in reproducing them on my computer. In case of online resources in India, you face such difficulties. Has anyone recently visited Digital history of India? For me, I now generally route my search through the pages of Wikipedia.
December 10, 2008
Dinesh Kannambadi on Wikipedia
Dinesh Kannambadi is an Electronic Engineer by profession. He has interest in history and contributed to the wikipedia articles on Kannada and Karanataka History or to be more specific Hoysala, Vijayanagar Empire and Later Chalukya (Kalyani or Western Chalukyas). His interest is in architecture of the temples of Karnataka.
He does not belong to group called historians. However, I am just wondering that how he has been able to develop historic thinking on cultural aspect and then placed in the right words. I am still reading his discussions and articles on Wikipedia. There sheer depth of some of the works has made me to make this noting in form of the post. I intendly marking that he can be accessed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Dineshkannambadi
October 25, 2008
Alberuni on Indian Historic Thinking and Historiography
“The Hindus do not pay much attention to the historical order of things; they are very caeless in relating the chronological succession of things, and when they are pressed for information and are a loss not knowing what to say, they invariable take to tale-telling”. Alberuni (As described in Sachau, Alberunis India, Vol. II, P. 10 and quoted in Rama Shankar Tripathi, History of Ancient India, 1992, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited, Delhi.)
Motive of above Reference:
I found the need of quoting the above statement of Alberuni many a time while discussing Indian historiography and historic thinking in India. Somehow, I did not get hold of this quotation. I presently do not remember that if I had made any effort to locate the above quotation on internet but, I did not find this quotation whenever I found the need of quoting it. I have read R. S. Tripathi during my college days but I did not remember that it was written. Recently I came across a copy of it and located this above quotation in the very first chapter.
I believe, those who are interested in Indian history may be equally interested in the quotation. Secondly, it is one of the purpose of this blog to collect such quotations which have need for those engaged in the craft of history writing and teaching. I also aim at identifying some highly significant sentences written by established scholars and bringing it on this blog. Therefore, I am writing this quotation here in a form of a post.
It is mere a quotation. However, the scholars know the great significance in field of history of India and Orientalist studies.
External Reference:
(Here you can access the book by Dr. Edward C. Sachau Vol. I)
A Side Talk
(I have a funny story revolving around this quotation concerning the thesis of one of a scholar. Unfortunately that is not meant for this blog.)
October 08, 2008
Captain Indra Passes Away
On October 6, 2008, Captain Indra Rani Jhansi Regiment of INF alias Laxmi Panda had passed away. With her, the tragic aspect of Indian History and history writing have been fixed for its one sided emphasis.
Laxmi Panda was denied her dues till the end. The tragic story was that she was not given her dues because of red tapism. She was denied her dues because she did not have any jail record.
With her demise, the conspiracy theory and Indian history re-writing case has become more strong. One can not deny the place of eminence given to those people who had remained with non-violent Gandhian course of struggle for independence. However, it is wrong to deny the place to those struggles which had been undertaken with the same spirit with which satyagrahis had exerted. But alas, History is mistress of the power that matters.
However, it was the present Honourable President Pratibha Patil, who helped her to get her dues. But alas, she had suffered much by that time and did not learn even that her status had been restored. After Jalianwala Baugh episode, wherein, a local deputy commissioner failed to understand the real nature of the contributions of such freedom fighters, it is the second case which has come to light. These cases emphasis that India needs to re-examine its historiography and records. Presently when the country is again engulfed in communal mind set, there is need to find a common glue which only a right course of history writing can provide.
Source:
The Hindu
With her demise, the conspiracy theory and Indian history re-writing case has become more strong. One can not deny the place of eminence given to those people who had remained with non-violent Gandhian course of struggle for independence. However, it is wrong to deny the place to those struggles which had been undertaken with the same spirit with which satyagrahis had exerted. But alas, History is mistress of the power that matters.
However, it was the present Honourable President Pratibha Patil, who helped her to get her dues. But alas, she had suffered much by that time and did not learn even that her status had been restored. After Jalianwala Baugh episode, wherein, a local deputy commissioner failed to understand the real nature of the contributions of such freedom fighters, it is the second case which has come to light. These cases emphasis that India needs to re-examine its historiography and records. Presently when the country is again engulfed in communal mind set, there is need to find a common glue which only a right course of history writing can provide.
Source:
The Hindu
September 29, 2008
Who was Indra of Subash Chandar Bose?
The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation
Laxmi Panda was a member of Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj. She was named Indra by Netaji.
It is better to remember the name of one's own father because that is required to claim the right of ancestral property. What is the need of remembering History? History is the mistress of politics. Do we remember Netaji?
September 23, 2008
Kumrahar Palibothra, Patliputra, Patna
Urbanization is an important subject in itself. In making of history of any region, country and social group, the urbanization and its process determine the contours of the development effecting every aspect of the life of inhabitants.
Similarly, to know the history in right order is as important as making of a nation and its existence. This statement may not be comprehensible to many people and nor it is going to be further dilated upon here. However, there is need to emphasis that there are some cities which are more important for remembering the history and heritage of ones own country than remembering and establishing the title of the property p
apers of your plots in which you have indulgently invested your hard earned or luck earned money. One of such city is Kumrahar and Rajgriha.
apers of your plots in which you have indulgently invested your hard earned or luck earned money. One of such city is Kumrahar and Rajgriha.It is Kumrahar, from where the very political identity of India as a nation has started emerging. That is other thing, many scholars will object to this statement because there is a group of scholars who believe that the very concept nation is nineteenth century concept and in India, the India as a nation started emerging only after 1870. There is need of debating on Euro-Centric and Euro-Defined and Euro-Oriented paradigm and I am ready to debate on what I have said here. This very Kumrahar then became the Patliputra of Ajatsatru, then of Sungas, Dhana Nanda, Vishnu Gupta and finally of Chandragupta Maurya. It was the same Patliputra, which was Palibothra of Sandrocotus in the Indica of Magasthense as referred to in the writing of Strabo. It is the same Pataliputra which later became the Patna.
In a news item of Times of India, it is being announced that the Bihar Government is about to bring out a book titled ‘Patna: A Monumental History’. It is coming out at a time when Bihar is suffering from the curse of Kosi. Any how, some of the extracts of the news it
em is reproduced below.
em is reproduced below.“Patna is pioneer among selected towns of India having run horse-drawn trams as urban mode of transport.”
“Now trams run only in Kolkata.”
“The founder of Kolkata Job Charnock spent more than a decade as the chief of Patna factory before founding the city of Kolkata in 1699 AD by integrating three adjoining villages — Sutanati, Kolikata and Govindpur.”
“The present day Patna Saheb is the oldest station of Patna. Its name changed several times, starting from Begampur, to Patna, to Patna City and now Patna Saheb.”
“The Danapur railway station, just outside Khagaul, later became the headquarters of the then `Company of East Indian Railway Volunteers.”
September 20, 2008
A Glimpse at the Inaugration of the Supreme Court of India Building
Dr. Rajendra Prasad, H.E. the President of India, Hon'ble Shri S.R. Das, Chief Justice of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Vice-President of India, Shri Ananthasayanam Ayyangar, Speaker, Lok Sabha and Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India on the occasion of inauguration of the Supreme Court of India Building - August 4, 1958
Source and Acknowledgement:
Photo Gallery as shown on the Website of Supreme Court of India. Kindly note that this site is quite useful for the research scholars who undertake research on the judiciary, supreme court judgements and jurisprudence.
September 09, 2008
Russell, R. V. : The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India by R. V. Russell is now available on Gutenberg Project from the last year.
It was one of the book coveted by me. I have read one volume by Ibbetson but when I reached this Volume, I develope
d some conflict with the library people. I did not return to the library. Since then, I was just repenting my decision. Now, along with J. Mills Book (that book is yet not available on Gutenberg Project but readily available from different sources), I have two books which I will read thoroughly.
The book was published in 1916. The project of such surveys had started by 1881 when the first Census of India was published. This book has been highly criticized by the nationalist historians. There is some valid arguments which
they have used. By mere survey of the bibliography, it can be seen, that it was mere a work of civil servant. The very diction while discussing various castes, tribes, clans of different states, one can observe that the writer is giving mere opinion.
Further, it is only after 1920, that nationalist historians started writing about India. They started with criticism of the contents of the history. There was no serious research as such. There were many reasons for that. Even today we find that new titles are published in which totally untouched sources are used. However, the proximity of the time of publication of this book and the emergence of Nationalist Historiography
of Modern India, makes it an important book. One should remember that the Discovery of India, the books by Bhandarkar, R. K. Mokerjee, and later J. N. Sarkar, et al came later.
In addition to that I have plucked out some photographs. The photographs in itself are a treat to the eyes. In the hand of a research scholars, they can be very good source especially, the upanayan yagyana photograph by Arya Samajis whom Russell had treated with supportive terms.
It was one of the book coveted by me. I have read one volume by Ibbetson but when I reached this Volume, I develope
d some conflict with the library people. I did not return to the library. Since then, I was just repenting my decision. Now, along with J. Mills Book (that book is yet not available on Gutenberg Project but readily available from different sources), I have two books which I will read thoroughly.The book was published in 1916. The project of such surveys had started by 1881 when the first Census of India was published. This book has been highly criticized by the nationalist historians. There is some valid arguments which
they have used. By mere survey of the bibliography, it can be seen, that it was mere a work of civil servant. The very diction while discussing various castes, tribes, clans of different states, one can observe that the writer is giving mere opinion.Further, it is only after 1920, that nationalist historians started writing about India. They started with criticism of the contents of the history. There was no serious research as such. There were many reasons for that. Even today we find that new titles are published in which totally untouched sources are used. However, the proximity of the time of publication of this book and the emergence of Nationalist Historiography
of Modern India, makes it an important book. One should remember that the Discovery of India, the books by Bhandarkar, R. K. Mokerjee, and later J. N. Sarkar, et al came later.
In addition to that I have plucked out some photographs. The photographs in itself are a treat to the eyes. In the hand of a research scholars, they can be very good source especially, the upanayan yagyana photograph by Arya Samajis whom Russell had treated with supportive terms.
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