Inaugurating the 81st session of the Indian History Congress (IHC) at the Madras Christian College on Tuesday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said the danger surrounding the country today was the distortion of history.
“The study of history should be based on scientific methods. Some people are attempting to construe illusions as history, which one should not believe. It should not be accepted. The intellectuals would not accept it,” he said.
“Today, the danger surrounding the country is the distortion of history. The ideals of the Indian Constitution should be protected in education, language, culture, power structures, economy, administration, among others,” he said. Quoting from a judgment of a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court delivered in 1994 to underline that secularism is the basic fabric of the Indian Constitution, he said, “We should all strive to create a secular society.”
Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy said, “Once, when the history of India was written, the history of south India and that of Tamil Nadu were sidelined, hidden.” If the land of India was studied properly, the history of India would not begin from Indus Civilization and the Ganges but from the shores of the Cauvery, he contended.
“Now, there are situations wherein history is being distorted,” the Minister said. Quoting a historian, who according to him had said that the “British rule in India is a blessing in disguise,” Mr. Ponmudy said, “There is nothing wrong in taking part in the struggle against the foreigners for independence. But when we read the actual history, if not for the British, there would not have been education development in India/Tamil Nadu; the downtrodden would not have come up in life. Christian institutions like this would not have come up. This Congress should instill in everyone objectivity to look into all histories and maintain neutrality while writing history.”
Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said it was only apt that the session was being held in Tamil Nadu and pointed out the session was being held at the MCC, a few km away from Pallavaram, where late geologist and archaeologist Robert Bruce Foote discovered the Palaeolithic hand-axes. The Minister also listed the archaeological excavations in Tamil Nadu and the State had the highest number of inscriptions recorded in the country.
On the occasion, professor Kesavan Veluthat took over as the general president of the 81st session of the IHC. After a gap of 26 years, an educational institution in Tamil Nadu is hosting the annual session of the IHC. The last time was when the University of Madras hosted a session in 1996.
Professor Shireen Mousvi, Professor Y. Subbarayalu, IHC secretary Professor Mahalakshmi Ramakrishnan and MCC Principal and Secretary P. Wilson spoke.
