THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Places with Muslim names in the country are being hastily renamed as part of the efforts to marginalise that community through distortion or complete omission, Kerala's Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has said.
In her virtual address during the inauguration of the 42nd annual session of the South Indian History Congress, the Minister said," There are organised efforts to falsify historical knowledge - the systematic erasure and distortion of representation of certain sections of society. The minorities and backward sections are further marginalised through either distortion or complete omission," she said.
She said, "The references to the Mughal dynasty in NCERT textbooks seem to have vanished as the Mughal garden's name is being changed to Amruth Gardens. All the cities, junctions and other places bearing Muslim names are being hastily renamed. The latest episode is the attempt to rename the nation in NCERT text."
The minister said there were conscious vilified attempts of tampering with historical knowledge so as to sabotage the social and cultural amity of Indian society. Concerted efforts to manipulate the study of history have become a cause of anxiety for people who have an open, democratic and secular outlook.
Bindu said that heroic leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru are being displaced to the margins through vilified campaigns and the references to Gandhi's martyrdom are being deleted as part of the efforts to eulogize Gandhi's murderer.
"History is being rewritten as a consortium of the tales of the victories of Hindu Rajas. The fabricating stories in place of real history and the conscious efforts to eliminate the shared historical experiences from the nation's memory are really deplorable and as responsible historians who understand the real value of studying history for a nation and its people," she said.
Indian History Congress president prof Kesavan Veluthat delivered the keynote address. Felicitations were offered by Kerala University vice-chancellor Prof. Mohanan Kunnummal, Collegiate education director Sudhir K., University College principal Subhash T. and SIHC organising committee chairman Prof. V. Karthikeyan Nair. SIHC general secretary S Ganeshram presented the report. Sajeev Singh M.K., assistant professor, Department of History University College, paid a vote of thanks.