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Historical Diversities: Society, Politics
and Culture AS the title suggests, the papers in this volume encompass varied aspects of history, written by some of the most eminent historians who have redefined the subject. These historians do not subscribe to limiting history in time and space, for them it is eclectic, multidimensional and diverse. This edited work by Tuteja and Pathania is a befitting tribute to a man who has enriched the field for more than half a century.
Datta’s liberal scientific approach and application of proper methodology is the guiding principle of this volume. For a student of history, it is a virtual lesson in the use of source material, proper causation, effect and analysis. Common to all 19 papers, is a rigorous application of fundamental norms of historical research and search for new insights into the issues. The traditional views have been questioned and the contributors again follow the belief of Datta, that there is ‘no final truth’ in history and all historical researches at the most succeed in providing an interim report. This book is not only for the initiated to the subject but also for those people who are keen students of world development. It gives an insight into many areas of contention and controversy. Both the papers in the ancient section deal with contemporary issues, while delving deep into the past to search for answers and understanding. K. M. Shrimali uses epigraphical evidence contained in the copper plates of Valkha chiefs (A.D. 350-450) to write on the nature of the agrarian structure. He throws new light on the proprietary rights over land of donees and their responsibility for agrarian development. In the medieval section, Indubanga and J. S. Grewal use literature to explain the tradition of love, war, devotion and gender relations. The Kissa of Heer Ranjha, in myriad creative writings, explains the social milieu of the age and forms the source to arrive at historical understanding of society and culture. Indubanga’s conclusion is that marriage was a social institution, with social control, and love was assertion of freedom which broke traditional norms, customs, laws and institutions of state which in turn challenged patriarchal structure. Grewal finds concept of love being popularised by the Sufis that also tried to break social controls. However, there was tension between personal love and social norms. Aniruddha Ray’s paper also uses literary sources to show that the Sultans of Bengal did not follow an anti-Hindu policy and helped develop a composite culture of the region. Shireen Moosvi uses empirical data culled out from the records of the European trading companies to point out that there was migration of skilled artisans even between the 16th and 18th centuries. She debunks the traditional view that caste rigidities and local ties often made migration of artisans a rare phenomenon. Sabyasachi Bhattacharya analyses the unexplored correspondence exchanged between Raja Ram Mohun Roy, the lawyer of the Moghuls and the British authorities from 1829-33. The letters and documents form the basis of proof that both reason of law and discourse of coercion were simultaneously used in the construction of the British colonial state in India. The fight and defiance of an educated, middle-class Indian, Christian missionary against subjection and oppression by the Church and the colonial state is the subject of Sudhir Chandra’s paper. The racial discrimination prevalent nails the lie of the colonial state of being just and fair. Environmental history finds place in Satpal Sangawan’s paper. Ancient texts like the Manusmriti, Arthashastra, Baudhayam and other textual sources are used to study the exploitation of nature from ancient to modern times. A paper on multi-disciplinary approach is the study of community health between 1915-45 and its impact by Deepak Kumar. Many papers use documents, reports, draft resolutions and committee reports to bring out their hypothesis. Radica Mahase discusses the anti-emigration movement under the umbrella of Indian nationalists who created a framework whereby challenging the role of colonialism in mass emigration. In the contemporary section, ethnic assertion of the Nagas is studied and its roots are found in the colonial state with its bearing on insurgency and separate tendencies. Harish K. Puri discusses the paradigm shift in Dalit assertion in Punjab post-Independence. The hypothesis is that their struggle has moved away from accessibility to opportunity and social justice to that of identity and internal hierarchies within them. The papers on Europe and Asia are thematic in context, discussing historiographical usages and idioms like Europe, transition and modernity. An outstanding paper by Irfan Habib discusses the emergence, consolidation and future direction of Asian identity. He builds a case in favour of strengthening the Asian consciousness based on solidarity of the Asian people as opposed to religion-specific appeals. There are three papers on historiography. Kesavan attempts to offer a critical analysis of historical tradition in pre-colonial India by studying Keralotpatti, a historical narrative from Kerala. He contests the Rankean tradition of historical writing and the contention that India lacked a historical tradition. He says we had different forms of history writing which suited the needs of society from time to time. K. L. Tuteja analyses Gokul Chand Narang’s book The Transformation of Sikhism which, according to him, reflected Narang’s own Hinduised ideological leanings. K.N. Panikkar makes a critical analysis of the ideological aspects which surround the debate on history textbooks published by NCERT. The note by Amrik Singh emphasises the need to have an in-depth study of the spread of Islam in India to understand the Muslims. He feels history can play an important role in transforming contemporary social realities. History has become a subject of debate and discussion, it is also encompassing, it shapes the polity, economy, culture, society and this can be gauged from the papers in this book. The progress made in understanding historical processes and the scientific tenor of research is brought out with exquisite deft in this volume. It goes to the credit of the editors that they have managed to compile and assemble such a diverse number of papers.
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To
say that V. N. Datta is an eminent historian would be a cliché. A
teacher and researcher par excellence, he continues to be a student of
history. Datta trained at Cambridge University, has more than 13 books
to his credit.