The media describes him as an RSS man and the author of the Mahabharata Project, but very little is known about the mild-mannered historian from Telangana in academic circles. Yellapragada Sudershan Rao, the new chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), describes himself as a colonial historian and argues that faith and reason can go hand in hand in the writing of history. The following is a recent interview with Yellapragada Sudershan Rao.
You have lashed out against Marxist historians and their interpretation of history. Why is the writing of history a Right vs Left debate?
I think it is time to think about India’s history from an Indian perspective. For the last 60 years, our writing and understanding of history has been influenced by the West. Indian research has been far too dependent on the West to write its own history. We are dependent on their translations and interpretation. And, these are my personal views, history writing in India is Euro-centric and imperialistic. The ICHR, I understand, is in the process of acquiring digital records from centres of history in the US and Europe. This will not only give us access to our own records but will also aid us in writing history from our perspective.
You have been appointed by the BJP government. Don’t you think institutions such as the ICHR should be free of politics?
The MoU (memorandum of understanding) prepared by the founding fathers of ICHR gave the powers to the government to appoint heads of social and historical institutes. I have no qualms in admitting that these appointments are political. Have previous heads of social institutes been questioned about their appointments? Why are these questions asked only about me? The government has been formed by a democratic process. It has been elected by the people. To question that is to question democracy itself. Unlike other social institutes, the ICHR attracts a lot of attention because history is an important subject. But history belongs to the people. We have not shown or written a comprehensive history of India to the people of India. History is by the people, for the people and of the people.
You are the author of the Mahabharata project? What is the project about?
There is a certain view that the Mahabharata or the Ramayana are myths. I don’t see them as myths because they were written at a certain point of time in history. They are important sources of information in the way we write history. What we write today may become an important source of information for the future in the future. When analysed, of course, they could be declared to be true or false. History is not static. It belongs to the people, it’s made by the people. Similarly, the Ramayana is true for people…it’s in the collective memory of generations of Indians. We can’t say the Ramayana or the Mahabharata are myths. Myths are from a western perspective.
What does that mean?
For us, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are true accounts of the periods in which they were written.
But shouldn’t the writing of history be rooted in historical evidence and research?
Western schools of thought look at material evidence of history. We can’t produce material evidence for everything. India is a continuing civilisation. To look for evidence would mean digging right though the hearts of villages and displacing people. We only have to look at the people to figure out the similarities in their lives and the depiction in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. For instance, the Ramayana mentions that Rama had travelled to Bhadrachalam (in Andhra Pradesh). A look at the people and the fact that his having lived there for a while is in the collective memory of the people cannot be discounted in the search for material evidence. In continuing civilisations such as ours, the writing of history cannot depend only on archaeological evidence. We have to depend on folklore too.
Are you for correcting the writing of history?
I won’t put it that way. But real history has to come through. I am a follower of truth. The ICHR should encourage research about India and Greater India—from Southeast Asia all the way to Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. There is enough archaeological evidence to show the connect of our civilisation there.
What is your view on Ayodhya?
Is it not a fact that mosques as structures came to be in India in 1000 AD? Is it not a fact that the mosque was built by a lieutenant of Babur? A historian can only enlighten people on the facts of history. Historians can at best say evidence of earlier remains of a Hindu structure are there. Conflicting views are created by political leaders. If Ayodhya is not the place of Ram, where did he live? Looking at the present structures in Ayodhya, we can see people still living the way that finds a mention in the Ramayana. Historians can only give their opinion to enlighten people.
Doesn’t correcting history pose a problem? Why only cast it in the context of two communities? How about Dalits and untouchability?
The question of untouchability is relatively recent, as recent as 3,000 years. And it has its basis in the economy. It was not based on social status. Did we hear of untouchability before this period of 3,000 years? Let me give you an example. Sage Vishwamitra went to a Dalit hut and asked for dog’s meat as he was hungry. The Ramayana and Mahabharata are replete with instances of different castes, did we find a mention of untouchability there?
As a historian, are you trying to give a religious interpretation to history?
I am a Hindu and a Brahmin. To be a Hindu isn’t a religion. In my personal practices, I can adopt religious practices of the community to which I belong—as a Shaivite or a Vaishnavite. But that is not what being a Hindu is about. Religions are recent manifestations. I feel there’s only Sanatana Dharma. There was no conflict between communities or on religious lines as there was only one sanatana dharma. Now there are several reasons for conflict to take place. Besides, Muslims are the only ones who have retained their distinct culture. Can Christians or Muslims say all religions are one? A Hindu can say that. There was no conflict when there was sanatana dharma, Conflict or contests came about when temples were destroyed and mosques built on the sites in medieval times.
Didn’t Hindus destroy Buddhist monuments?
I agree. But Buddhism was on the wane then, in decline. But were thousands of people killed as they were in the raids to the Somnath temple? I won’t use the word corrections here. But the real history has to come up.
Ayodhya is “Judaea” in English.
And the one in “India” (the modern borders) is not the oldest one. Nor is the one in Thailand: Ayutthaya. Both with Rama legends attached.
But where is the OLDEST “Ayodhya?” And is “Rama” associated with that “Ayodhya?” YES, HE IS.
And what else? He “went into exile” for 14 years then RETURNED TO “Ayodhya”…..although they do not portray this historical person in that manner…but the evidence is there…
The good professor is correct: western historians denigrate India’s contribution to ancient history. Frankly, they have built entire artifices from obvious falsehoods.
I think many western scholars KNOW the truth, and attempt to get India’s contributions past WESTERN CENSORS: saying the wrong thing can cost a scholar his or her job in the west. But I found their bread crumbs…followed that trail….getting crucial evidence out to the public . Intentional deception….it really “irks” me.
With your assistance: that stops here, now. Tell the good professor: we can rewrite ancient history. Right here at IndiaDivine. Using archeology, science and the Mahabharata. The Ramayana.
And one more epic tale…that I will keep to myself for now. It is not the Illiad/Trojan War. It comes from Asia….
At last, a historian with no leftist leanings as the head of ICHR! This is a good development, and soon we should see the romila thapars of the world disappearing from the scene, as their malicious, false and ill-motivated historical theories get destroyed by geniune research and scholarship… Truly, acche din aane vaale hain, for Indian History
Indeed our Congress Govt.tried it’s best to hide and distort the true history of India by rewriting history through Marxists,anti- Hindu,pro-Muslim scholars and historians ably assisted by our biased media print and electronic, particularly English,the process of distortion is thru text books ,magazines ,dailies like Times of India,The Hindu,Outlook and many more who are encouraging Marxists anti Hindu theories on a regular basis.Most of the historical monuments carry distorted views,history, glorifying Muslim, invaders and iconoclasts and depicting them as builders of the monuments.In fact majority of monuments were built after destroying or adding to Hindu Temples,forts and palaces .
I agree untouchability wasn’t there before – I even heard a lady on tube analysing Mahabharata. She said if gwalas were shudras how come temples of lord Krishna and how come Vasudev and Nand were brothers
I agree untouchability wasn’t there before – I even heard a lady on tube analysing Mahabharata. She said if gwalas were shudras how come temples of lord Krishna and how come Vasudev and Nand were brothers
Untouchability and caste system came much later – no one was divided on cast they were on basis of what they do.. obviously like current times dr’s children tend to be dr similarly at that time it happened and politics came and started castes!!
The brainless Anti National, Anti INDIAN Congress which ruled the country for about 60 years has damaged the country’s culture and heritage through its minority appeasement. It further encouraged useless, brainless, ignorant authors ( like Romilla Thapar, etc ) to write history books instead of true historians. Now the clouds are dispensing. The sun will shine. If the correct history is taught, the next generation will prove that they are the sons of this soil. Most of the present generation, though they are sons of this soil, they are useless sons. What is the use of termites ? Aftersome time, they die. Similar is the case of these useless sons. They are useless because they lack self confidence, devotion in country, parents, culture and heritage. They follow western culture, western methods, thinking that it is better for them. But, in this quest, they are forgetting that they have already lost their mental balance, mental peace, physical health and physical well being. So, the present government, which is purely INDIAN ( The previous Congress Governments are not INDIAN ), is trying to resurrect this basic fact. So, it is acting in that direction. Hats Off to Mr. Modi. The dreams of Swami Vivekananda that “Mother India will become Universal Teacher once again” will become true. Congress is lost for ever. It will be ousted out of the country in due course. It has to bear the responsibility for having played with the sentiments of the people of the land. It is cursed to vanish from the scene of the soil. And it will vanish shortly.
No doubt and no wonder that the history books that were used to teach us Indian history in school days, indeed, described and portrayed all the Mughal rulers pompously and in all gradeur.
But my take on the aforesaid matter is that a thief always eyes someone who he knows to be far greater in wealth than himself (hope everyone understands who the ‘thief’ is here.). He knows in the heart of his hearts that he cannot, ever, in his entire lifetime, match the stature and grandeur (by fair means, of course) of the person whom he is eyeing as a potential victim. India was indeed one nation of such magnificent grandeur in terms of wealth, both material and spiritual. And the thieving Mughals always had theft in their blood. Nonetheless, a thief always remains a thief. And it is high time that all events in Indian history be viewed and interpreted without any distortions or deviations of any sort.
I have heard of the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Srutis and the Puranas, such huge collection of writing that one cannot imagine a mere human being capable of studying all these tomes and understanding the innermost truth they have for all mankind. Apart from all these are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata which are mentioned as Adi Kavyas, i.e Ancient Poems. How is it that the people who gave the names to these two great pieces some other immortal name rather than “Mere” poems?
Further, Valmiki and Vyasa are supposed to have lived through those times and written these poems, and in the latter case, Lord Vigneswara Himself is said to have written down the Mahabharata even as Vyasa Muni recited the entire Magnum Opus. Is all this true? Is there any possibility of the true Hindu Historians of today and tomorrow tracing the descent of the two works through the millennia to us? How are these Historians going to study all the versions of these two great works and decide which is factual and which others fake? Does the story of Ramayana, sorry, History of Ramayana end with the Coronation of Rama or the later portion of the Aswamedha yaga and the fight between Rama’s and Lakshmana’s armies with Lava and Kusha also factual.
Lastly, what is the thread of connection between the end of Ramayana and the beginning of Mahabharatha?
I am not Indian but I love India and her people. I believe the greatest treasure India has been robbed of is her past. Her history remains in the hearts of her people and is contained in her great epics Ramayana and Mahabarata, which I believe to be true. Being Native American myself, I have heart for India losing the truth of her past under the harsh tyranny of the European land-grabbers. How does the saying go? “There are 3 things that can never be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth”.
I like krishna and Arjuna when they were in battle and some of of the people they were battling were his own relatives. Krishna was sad for Arjuna.Likewise some of our battles are within our own.They not knowing the truth.Nahualtly
OMG! He is so amazing. He is the real Indian scholar. I am totally impressed with the way he answered all the questions asked to him