From Father To Son - The Why and How of studying History

Phew! It has been 3 long years since my last post here. And this is about something which is very close to my heart - history. 
When we were in school, history and other such social sciences subjects were really not meant for middle class, ordinary people in non-metro towns, who wished to make big in their lives. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence and purpose was supposed to be studying science, maths and economics which only would help you in getting a good job with lots of money and social standing.  Study of history, sociology etc were just trivial pursuits, better explained as whiling away of time. 
Even today, the situation has not changed for a large number of people. Apart from a rarefied circle, a BA still elicits sneers from peers - "kuchh hua nahin hoga inse" types. 
I strongly feel a better studying of history would have made us a better people who are more responsible and aware towards their surroundings. The following article is in the same vein, and I hope it makes some difference to someone. It was intended as a small letter to my son and developed in to a long rant, which I thought to share with you.  (Its abridged version has been carried in the newspaper First India of 19th June 2019 under the heading "Histori-kally Yours). 

Dear Son

Being sixteen is a wonderful age. As the famous American artist and philosopher Raymond Duncan has said – “The best substitute for experience is being sixteen”. But then, you cannot not grow up and remain sixteen all your life, can you?

As you grow up to be a teen and then an adult, and gain some experience, you would see the world unfold before you in all its beauty and magnificence, and possibly in some of its ugliness and cruelty too. You would meet people with differing views on how the world should be like, some of which you would agree with and some you won’t. You would read books, watch movies and make new friends. Shaped by all of this, you would form your own opinion, your own world view to help you make sense of what is going on in your society, country and the world.

This would happen mostly without even your realizing it – slowly and surely, over years. But whether or not you realize it, it is a very important part of your growing up, because growing up is not all physical, right? Along with the body, the mind has to grow too, to help you make more informed opinions and decisions. It is here that one knowledge stream could help you immensely – History.

History? – you would ask. That boring-litany-of-dates-and-kings-and-battles-history? Yes, the same. Because, as the famous Uruguayan journalist and writer Eudardo Galeano has said – “History never really says goodbye. History says, ‘See you later’ ”. What this means is that historical situations and events, though unique to their times, have a habit of repeating themselves. And it would do well to learn from history. But hold the thought here.

I have been using the word history repeatedly. What exactly do we mean when we say history? Apart from a dictionary definition, which you already know, that is? Well, to know what history actually is, a better starting point would be to understand what history isn’t.      

 ·       History is not just a list of years and dates when power changed hands or some important war was fought. I am sure you and your friends must have spent many sleepless nights cramming up these dates. History is also about the long periods in between these important dates when people just went on with their lives – earning their livings, raising families, discovering new things, celebrating their newborns, mourning their dead, enjoying their happy moments and grieving their losses. These are the stories you should look for. Really good books and movies take you back to those times. So, don’t take the dry route of only mugging up the dates. Read between these dates.

·        History is also not only about kings or leaders of countries or such important figures. Important as these famous personalities are, their lives might not be representative of the general public of the times. Look out for historical stories away from the mainstream, which tell you about the common man of any era – how he lived, what he ate, what his customs and religion were, what he (or she, of course) believed in etc. Look a little closer at the name – history – some say it speaks his story, the man’s story! So the next time you pick up a history book, read a little carefully and you would hear the common man’s story.

·         History is most definitely not a flogging tool to prove other people wrong or making them feel ashamed or worked up about their past. Judging someone and behaving with him on the basis of the historical past is the worst form of expression of superiority one could have over others. You would understand that one does not have any say in what kind of family and circumstances one is born in. It is all a matter of chance, for which no one should be castigated.

Now that we are have a sense of what history is or isn’t, we can come back to our original question of why and how should we study history? How does it actually help us form an opinion, a world view, as talked earlier?

·         Here is a quote from a newspaper column by the famous historian Ramachandra Guha. He says –

“The uses of history are educative rather than instrumental. By writing in rich details about other peoples and past times, the historian can expose his fellow citizens to a wider range of human social experience. A deeper knowledge of how others have lived and labored – or failed and succeeded – allows one to be more fully aware of the contingencies and peculiarities of one’s own life.

A knowledge of history may thus make the aam aadmi more self-critical, less xenophobic. As for political (or business or sporting) leaders, a knowledge of history is – or should be – the best antidote to hubris.” 

What this quote says is that knowledge of history makes you a much fuller and complete person, sensitive and accommodative to other’s experiences and sensibilities. Man is a social animal, they say. Indeed he is, and your being aware about others in the society will make your and others’ lives more meaningful.

·         History helps you place your coordinates in the world. Your science classes might have told you about the human race originating 2 million years ago from Africa. Won’t it be fascinating to know what happened thereafter, how do you trace yourself to your ancestors? As an aside, you would find it interesting that National Geographic magazine is running a very elaborate scientific exercise to analyse historic patterns of DNA from participants around the world to better understand our shared historic roots. (source: genographic.nationalgeographic.com/about)       

·         India is home to one of the oldest civilizations in the world – around 2500 to 3000 years old. Along with a rich history, we also have a vast treasure of mythology enriched with magnificent stories and widely revered & loved characters, real to many of us. For example, Mahabharat and Ramayana are undoubtedly one of the greatest epics the world has ever seen. In the millennia since they have been written, these epics have acquired a life of their own and their characters are probably the most well-known and respected characters in the Indian religious pantheon. At the same time, there is a strong line of thought which considers them as real history and not just mythology. The truth is somewhere in between these two extremes. It is important to appreciate the points of difference between history and mythology, between fact and fiction. Knowing correct history would help us.     

At this point, I hope you have come around to thinking that this history is not so boring after all, and maybe you could think of reading or watching some. With the surfeit of history available on the internet and TV shows, it is important to remember some guidelines which shall help you make the most of your interest. I will list them down as follows:

·         History requires understanding, not correction

In the politically and socially dynamic societies like ours, people group on the basis of region, caste, religion, political support etc., and as is human nature, there is a tendency to establish oneself or one’s group as superior to others.

To feel superior, even on a false basis, over-zealous groups sometimes start propagating lies in name of “correct history”, and start opposing uncomfortable truths which puncture their false claims. You must have seen groups protesting to ban some movie or some book, because as per them, it makes them look bad or wicked or cruel or whatever they don’t wish to look like.  

But what we are seeking to understand in history is the truth, howsoever uncomfortable it might be. True knowledge gives us more courage and self-worth than some manufactured past.  

An attempt to correct history, if any such thing is possible at all, is more often than not leading one on to a wrong path of self-glorification, away from joy of acquiring true knowledge. 

·         Choose your sources wisely

For starters, school text books are a rather good way to gain an overview of history. If you are in India, Social Science NCERT text books for Class 8^th to 12^th have quite well-researched, unbiased and distilled content for use of young scholars.

Once you have gained an overview, choose some specific event of history and look up bestsellers lists on history books on the internet. There are some absolutely wonderful authors who write well-researched history and in whose hands, history springs to life. 

I could suggest some – The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William E Shirer for World War 2, or The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple for the last days of Mughal Empire in India or India After Gandhi by Ramchandra Guha for history of modern India after independence etc. Talk to your teachers and elders for their suggestions about other good sources.

     

·         Separate fake from real

Internet is a pretty reliable guide on genuine history stuff to read or watch. At the same time, there is a lot of unverified and false history floating around the web and also on the social media. Similarly, there is a lot of literature which is not genuine history but just propaganda. So be on your guard. Be exposed to all points of view but use your common sense and try to distil correct facts from the plethora of information around. There are a lot of websites dedicated to sounding out fake news. Find out about them.

·         Draw correct conclusions. If in doubt, wait.

Reading and watching previously unknown facts will inevitably lead you to form some opinions and draw conclusions. Remember that opinions change with knowledge and experience acquired. So, don’t be fixed in your opinions. Keep your mind open, keep reading and wait for the complete picture to emerge. Don’t rush in to drawing half-baked conclusions.

·         Time and context are important

Human civilization is approximately 4000 years old. Every minute contributing to these four millennia is connected to every other minute by a cause and effect relationship, howsoever wide and apart they seem.

A large part of studying history is about understanding these relationships, and knowing that historical events and personalities are products of the prevailing time and circumstances. When we see the history through the pigeon-hole of present times and our limited experience, we sometimes tend to forget this.

As an example, sometimes the words ‘secular’ or ‘nationalistic’ are used to describe events which occurred 300 years ago. This is not correct because these ideas have originated and have been defined only around 150 years back.    

Remember therefore that to appreciate historical events, we have to place them in correct context of prevailing time and circumstances.  

  

·         Heroes are never totally white, nor are the villains absolutely black.

Brought up on fairy tales and popular movies, most of us think of heroes and villains as uni-dimensional characters, meaning that heroes have to be all good, and villains supremely bad. But it is not so in real life. A person is a mixture of these two, never wholly black, never wholly white, but some shade of grey in between.

Naturally, it applies to our historical figures also. Someone might have been a great warrior but a not-so-good father. Another one might have been a patron of arts but a cruel person too. Great heroes too can have feet of clay. History is full of such heroes.

It is necessary to appreciate these fine personality traits. Appreciate a hero for his good qualities but don’t make him invincible in your head.   

·         Recognize and respect the other person’s view point

Probably the most important lesson to be learnt from history is that even though facts are supposed to be sacred, they could have different effects on different people. You are not the only one drawing conclusions from the past. You have to recognize and respect the other person’s point of view.    

Well, it is been a long letter with lots of directions but if it has been able to kindle in your heart just a little flame of honest curiosity about our history, it would be worth the length. I wish you well, hoping that this journey in to the quest for truthfulness would make you a better and complete person. 

Love 
Dad