Tug of war over interpretation of Hyderabad merger

In the long term, it is part of a larger ideological battle for a party that draws inspiration from the RSS.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR. (Photo | EPS)
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao or KCR. (Photo | EPS)

Is September 17, 1948, Telangana Liberation Day or National Integration Day? It is like the raven-rabbit illusion, depending on how one looks at it. For the BJP-led Centre, it is liberation from the tyranny of the Nizams. It is a no-brainer that the BJP has a political motive since September 17 reminds people of the armed struggle against the Razakaars and the police action which led to the then Hyderabad State’s merger into the Indian Union. It could be seen as its immediate goal to manipulate society’s collective memory for making inroads into the state and consolidating its appeal among the Hindus. In the long term, it is part of a larger ideological battle for a party that draws inspiration from the RSS. And that is the renaissance of the Hindu culture and its ‘restoration’ to its pride of place in history.

The ruling TRS and its ally, the AIMIM, on the other hand, are seeking to reinterpret history, glossing over the wounds of the past more as a matter of political expediency to counter the BJP challenge. It is pertinent to note that during the Telangana movement, the TRS demanded that September 17 be declared Liberation Day. Once in power, it has steered clear of the issue, partly not to antagonise its ally and partly not to widen the fissures between Hindus and Muslims. With the BJP surging, maybe the TRS thought it could no longer ignore the day and decided on terming it Telangana National Integration Day. So, we have year-long celebrations planned by both the camps.

Can one ever reinterpret history successfully? Soviet-era communists had tried in Eastern Europe but couldn’t erase the collective memory of the societies they occupied. True memories passed down the generations are likely to be distorted, but so is history if the intention is to recast it per one’s ideology. Memories associated with different groups also tend to be very different from one another. Hence, the question of history versus memory is a tricky one. The way forward could be to desist from manipulation of either. Critic Leon Wieseltier observed that politics grounded in collective memory could destroy the empirical attitude necessary for the responsible use of power. The same goes for distortions of history. Ideally, September 17 ought to be a celebration of freedom, nothing more, nothing less.

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