History is so boring…
So much memorising, no scope of any understanding…
Writing pages after pages in exams for nothing…
Why is it taught at all…
These are exactly the thoughts of a lot many of the high school students of our country. History as a school subject is considered more to be a liability than an asset. As a result we often find that the brightest brains shy away from pursuing history in later life, leaving to more and more disinterested people in charge of teaching it to the future generations, and sadly this vicious cycle gets repeated. Is the subject really at fault, or the archaic methods of teaching are to be blamed? Doesn’t history deserve analytical treatment like science?
Leaving out the history of other nations let’s focus on our country India. Not our 5000 year old history, only the two centuries of British occupation. What is the official version here? Some hundred strong traders from a far off land established a few trading posts (that doubled as military bases), built sizeable armies from scratch, and gradually swallowed up one native kingdom after another, thus establishing the most resourceful colony that was the prized possession of their mighty empire (that engulfed nearly a third of the world). And their company had to cede the rights of this huge treasure to the Crown after a massive rebellion of disgruntled native soldiers. Then came some more armed insurrections, this time led by educated middle class but determined people and all of which were disastrous failures. These were followed by non-violent protests by large groups of people which caused the British to finally give in and abandon the jewel of their Empire.
Before going into the fallacies of this narrative let’s focus on a recent event: the Indo-Pak conflict in May 2025. Despite the fact that Indian missiles and drones wrecked apart several terrorist hideouts and Pakistani airbases (which has been supported by visual evidences), a considerable number of people of other countries believe that Pakistan actually downed a few Indian aircrafts and destroyed important defence infrastructure. This is due to their stronger propaganda machinery (fully backed by China). This is just an example; there are numerous cases of false news materials that can be noticed in both electronic and print media. Nowadays it is somewhat possible to fact check any doubtful information (thanks to the easy availability of internet), but it was not so even some twenty years back. If this is the case with our news, can you just imagine the volume of trash that has been incorporated in our history?
That is why it is very important to understand history. What was the reason that enabled the British East India Company to bring the whole of our country under their rule? It was a very calculated application of diplomacy and brute force. The rule of the Crown was not much different; there were few thousands of British people at the helm and lakhs of native civilians supporting them at various levels. In addition there was a large colonial army (that too comprising of several thousand natives led by some white men) which was used to brush away any credible opposition (even in other parts of the world). The British rulers knew long as the loyalty of the armed forces remained intact they could overcome any danger. And the so called non-violent mass movements had no effect on the members of the armed forces. Rather the interactions between the captured soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) and the native troops of the British Indian armed forces finally broke the deadlock and infused a sense of patriotism among the latter, thus leading to revolt of the armed forces (the most important being the Naval Mutiny of 1946). And it was these sorts of events that convinced the British to leave gracefully (or run the risk of getting kicked out unceremoniously).
Armed revolution is no child’s play. It involves tremendous degrees of courage, discipline, valour, selfless sacrifice and above all unquestionable loyalty towards ones Motherland. It was never an easy process; rather it had to undergo evolution from humble beginnings of political dacoities and assassinations to all out revolution (that we see in the Azad Hind Fauj). Failures were common but the torch needed to be carried over by future generations (since in most cases the failed revolutionaries were knocked out of action permanently) before success could be attained. But the degree of disappointment gets magnified when the due recognition is not obtained. And this was what our bravehearts got in the end. Their noble deeds never got the rightful place in the official history that is taught in schools. So is it a wonder that students lose their interest in the subject?
The book, “THE OTHER SIDE OF HISTORY: The Unsung annals behind India’s independence” by Abhishek Chakrabarti intends to make amends. Written in a concise manner using lucid language and yet containing tons of information from credible sources this book will definitely help to fill in the huge gaps left in the official version. It is a must read not only for history nerds but for all people of India who want to see our nation reach great heights of success. It has the potential to reignite the fire of patriotism that has remained extinguished for several decades following independence. The author has provided his email id also in the book to enable the readers to contact him with their valuable feedback that can further enrich this commendable piece of work.
For more information visit here : The Other Side Of History
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