Kochi: The study of history is getting increasingly plural and liberal with new paradigms setting the tone for removing the inherent bias in the study of the subject. Addressing a session on “Is Periodisation a Requisite for the study of History,” Dr. Harbans Mukhia questioned validity of the periodization of the study of Indian history into ancient, medieval and modern with religious markings. He was addressing the session held as part of the second annual session of the Kerala History Congress at UC College Campus on Tuesday, “When ancient, medival, modern categorization has been identified as one of the last vestiges of a decaying Eurocentric concept, there is an immediate need to mark the emergence of a new era of a more liberal, secular and pluralistic history free from biases” he said.
Addressing the session Dr. K.N Panikkar, president of Kerala History Congress , expressed concerns over the misinterpretations of myths and legends as an attempt to narrow down national history into communal history. “History is being used to propagate the idea of a Hindu Rashtra” he said. Dr. Panikkar expressed the hope that deliberations in the Congress would contribute to production and propagation of secular history.
Other historians also expressed similar concerns and stressed the importance of the development of local history with an interdisciplinary approach. The three-day long Congress will conclude on Thursday. A book on Developmental Modernity in Kerala; Narayana Guru by P. Chndramohan was released during the congress. The compilation of the first annual session of the Kerala History Congress, in a book form, has been released by Dr. Rajan Gurukkal.
