09-03-2005, 02:49 AM
jagmohan's first part from Statesman, Sept.,1, 2005
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->INDIAâS PAST-I Let Truth Be The Soul Of Our History
âHistory has many cunning passages, contrived corridorsâ, wrote TS Eliot in his celebrated poem, Gerontion. Has Dr Manmohan Singh been taken in by such âcunning passagesâ and walked through âcontrived corridorsâ, while addressing Oxford University on 8 July 2005, or are his critics relying upon their own âcunning passagesâ and taking us to their âcontrived corridorsâ?
If truth is to be the soul of history and if history has to serve as our guiding star for walking on the right path in the present as well as in the future, we have to look at it with clinical precision and objectivity. Passions, prejudices and predilections have no place in authentic and instructive history.
There is concrete evidence to show that, in many respects, the British Raj in India proved a blessing in disguise. Take, for example, the area of archaeology, history and literature. This area was served by such dedicated British stalwarts as Alexander Cunningham, James Burgess, John Marshall, Sir Mortimer Wheeler.
Asiatic Society
Their historic and pioneering work, coupled with equally historic and pioneering work of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in discovering and translating Indian classics and deciphering inscriptions, such as those on Asokan pillars and rocks, resulted in the great past of India being dug out from the huge debris of its decadence.
The process began in the late 18th century. Dr Samuel Johnson, having understood the importance of the subject, advocated that the past of India should be systematically investigated. Warren Hastings, the then Governor-General, was no less keen. About the intrinsic worth of the ancient Indian thoughts, he had observed: âThese would survive when the British dominion in India shall have long ceased to existâ. He described the translation of Bhagavad Gita as âthe gain of humanityâ.
A series of solid measures were, however, taken when Sir William Jones arrived on the scene. In September 1783, he was appointed a judge of the Calcutta Supreme Court. He gathered around him a band of dedicated scholars, and founded, on 15 January 1784, the Asiatic Society of Bengal. With the establishment of this society, a number of scholarly works were undertaken.
The hidden treasures were spotted, one by one. Sir William Jones himself translated Kalidasaâs Shakuntala. He also unfolded the history of Chandragupta Maurya by synchronising it with a stage of Greek history. Cole Brooke translated the Vedas and Wilkins the Bhagavad Gita. At the time the Society was set up, âlittle was known of India and that little was superficial and inaccurateâ. But within a span of half a century, the Sanskrit language and literature became known all over and its range and richness dazzled the world.
Equally spectacular were the developments in the field of archaeology. James Prinsep deciphered the Asokan inscriptions and solved the tangle of Kharoshthi and Brahmi scripts. His epigraphic and numismatic techniques produced remarkable results. Charles Wilkins laid the foundation for epigraphical studies. Captain E Fell discovered the Sanchi Stupa and Erskine brought to light the excellence of Ajanta caves and their paintings.
Archaeological treasures
With the appointment of Alexander Cunningham as the first Archaeological Surveyor of India in 1861, a great upswing in exploration was witnessed and many historic cities and sites, like Taxila and fortress of Sangala, associated with the invasion of Alexander the Great, were identified. His successor, Dr James Burgess, made a significant contribution in the form of many publications. For Lord Curzon, preservation of the archaeological treasures was a passion: âAs a pilgrim at the shrine of beauty I have visited them, but as a priest in the temple of duty have I charged myself with their reverent custody and their studied repairâ.
John Marshall, who was appointed Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India in 1902, was as passionate a lover of Indian Archaeology as Lord Curzon. He remained in his post till 1928. During these 26 years, a large number of sites, including Nalanda, Vaishali, Pataliputra, Taxila and pre-historic towns of Mohanjodaro and Harappa, were unearthed, resulting in a revolutionary change in the entire perspective of Indian history. About Marshallâs contribution, it has been appropriately remarked: âHe left India about 3,000 years older than he had found itâ.
No less remarkable was the contribution made by members of the Indian Civil Service. Vincent Smith, who served as chief secretary, in the United Provinces, produced outstanding works of history, such as the Early History of India (1904) and the Oxford History of India (1919). Earlier, Mount Stuart Elphinstone, with his publication of History of India (1841) had made his mark as a historian. His eminence can be judged from the fact that he was called the Tacitus of Modern History. Brian Houghton Hodgson did pioneering work in exploring the natural history of the Himalayan region and studying Buddhist religion, customs and language. AO Hume, who earned the name of Pope of Ornithology, carried out his classic research on Asiatic birds. There were many other monumental works in diverse fields of religion, linguistics, economics and rural life.
All these discoveries acted as a tonic on the Indian mind, jolted the sleeping giant, injecting new confidence in him and making him think about the great products of his past and his potential for the future. Activated further by the contact with Western liberalism and scientific spirit, the Indian mind created new social and cultural forces which brought about the great Renaissance of the later 19th century and early 20th century.
In view of these facts, it would be churlish to deny that in enabling India to rediscover the greatness of her past and create a new mindscape, the British scholars and civil servants played a significant part. To all of them, India owes a deep debt.
We should also not forget the miserable conditions of India when the East India Company started establishing its hegemony over the affairs of the country. Jadunath Sarkar, the noted historian, has observed: âThe country could not defend itself; royalty was hopelessly depraved or imbecile; the nobles were selfish and short-sighted; corruption, inefficiency and treachery disgraced all branches of the public service. In the midst of this decay and confusion, our literature, art and even true religion had perishedâ.
Plunder of Delhi
The degeneration had gone on to such an extent that Nadir Shah in 1739 and Ahmed Shah in 1757 were able to plunder Delhi with impunity and take away practically its entire wealth. The former slaughtered about 20,000 innocent Delhi citizens in a single day.
After the initial period of maladministration which was passionately denounced by the humanists like Edmund Burke, the British rulers built a steel frame of governance, the control mechanism of which rested with the Indian Civil Service â a service which justifiably earned for itself the reputation of being best in the world. It provided complete peace and unified the country through a vast network of roads, railways, post offices. Most members of the service displayed an enlightened attitude, and dispensed evenhanded justice. They came to be looked upon as ma-baap of the common folk.
Their work was not, as is commonly believed, confined merely to law and order. It extended to development. For example, the irrigation schemes, woven around the Chenab and Jhelum rivers, and setting up of a number of canal colonies, were remarkable projects of development which were carried out speedily and efficiently under the outstanding leadership of civil servants like Sir Alfred and James Lyall and Sir Malcolm Hailey. Their contribution led to what has appropriately been called the blossoming of the wilderness.
(To be concluded)
The author is a former Union minister
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not to mention Sir Aurtur Cotton in Andhra. Question is Sri Jag Mohan not aware of the origins of the canal projects in Punjab?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->INDIAâS PAST-I Let Truth Be The Soul Of Our History
âHistory has many cunning passages, contrived corridorsâ, wrote TS Eliot in his celebrated poem, Gerontion. Has Dr Manmohan Singh been taken in by such âcunning passagesâ and walked through âcontrived corridorsâ, while addressing Oxford University on 8 July 2005, or are his critics relying upon their own âcunning passagesâ and taking us to their âcontrived corridorsâ?
If truth is to be the soul of history and if history has to serve as our guiding star for walking on the right path in the present as well as in the future, we have to look at it with clinical precision and objectivity. Passions, prejudices and predilections have no place in authentic and instructive history.
There is concrete evidence to show that, in many respects, the British Raj in India proved a blessing in disguise. Take, for example, the area of archaeology, history and literature. This area was served by such dedicated British stalwarts as Alexander Cunningham, James Burgess, John Marshall, Sir Mortimer Wheeler.
Asiatic Society
Their historic and pioneering work, coupled with equally historic and pioneering work of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in discovering and translating Indian classics and deciphering inscriptions, such as those on Asokan pillars and rocks, resulted in the great past of India being dug out from the huge debris of its decadence.
The process began in the late 18th century. Dr Samuel Johnson, having understood the importance of the subject, advocated that the past of India should be systematically investigated. Warren Hastings, the then Governor-General, was no less keen. About the intrinsic worth of the ancient Indian thoughts, he had observed: âThese would survive when the British dominion in India shall have long ceased to existâ. He described the translation of Bhagavad Gita as âthe gain of humanityâ.
A series of solid measures were, however, taken when Sir William Jones arrived on the scene. In September 1783, he was appointed a judge of the Calcutta Supreme Court. He gathered around him a band of dedicated scholars, and founded, on 15 January 1784, the Asiatic Society of Bengal. With the establishment of this society, a number of scholarly works were undertaken.
The hidden treasures were spotted, one by one. Sir William Jones himself translated Kalidasaâs Shakuntala. He also unfolded the history of Chandragupta Maurya by synchronising it with a stage of Greek history. Cole Brooke translated the Vedas and Wilkins the Bhagavad Gita. At the time the Society was set up, âlittle was known of India and that little was superficial and inaccurateâ. But within a span of half a century, the Sanskrit language and literature became known all over and its range and richness dazzled the world.
Equally spectacular were the developments in the field of archaeology. James Prinsep deciphered the Asokan inscriptions and solved the tangle of Kharoshthi and Brahmi scripts. His epigraphic and numismatic techniques produced remarkable results. Charles Wilkins laid the foundation for epigraphical studies. Captain E Fell discovered the Sanchi Stupa and Erskine brought to light the excellence of Ajanta caves and their paintings.
Archaeological treasures
With the appointment of Alexander Cunningham as the first Archaeological Surveyor of India in 1861, a great upswing in exploration was witnessed and many historic cities and sites, like Taxila and fortress of Sangala, associated with the invasion of Alexander the Great, were identified. His successor, Dr James Burgess, made a significant contribution in the form of many publications. For Lord Curzon, preservation of the archaeological treasures was a passion: âAs a pilgrim at the shrine of beauty I have visited them, but as a priest in the temple of duty have I charged myself with their reverent custody and their studied repairâ.
John Marshall, who was appointed Director-General of Archaeological Survey of India in 1902, was as passionate a lover of Indian Archaeology as Lord Curzon. He remained in his post till 1928. During these 26 years, a large number of sites, including Nalanda, Vaishali, Pataliputra, Taxila and pre-historic towns of Mohanjodaro and Harappa, were unearthed, resulting in a revolutionary change in the entire perspective of Indian history. About Marshallâs contribution, it has been appropriately remarked: âHe left India about 3,000 years older than he had found itâ.
No less remarkable was the contribution made by members of the Indian Civil Service. Vincent Smith, who served as chief secretary, in the United Provinces, produced outstanding works of history, such as the Early History of India (1904) and the Oxford History of India (1919). Earlier, Mount Stuart Elphinstone, with his publication of History of India (1841) had made his mark as a historian. His eminence can be judged from the fact that he was called the Tacitus of Modern History. Brian Houghton Hodgson did pioneering work in exploring the natural history of the Himalayan region and studying Buddhist religion, customs and language. AO Hume, who earned the name of Pope of Ornithology, carried out his classic research on Asiatic birds. There were many other monumental works in diverse fields of religion, linguistics, economics and rural life.
All these discoveries acted as a tonic on the Indian mind, jolted the sleeping giant, injecting new confidence in him and making him think about the great products of his past and his potential for the future. Activated further by the contact with Western liberalism and scientific spirit, the Indian mind created new social and cultural forces which brought about the great Renaissance of the later 19th century and early 20th century.
In view of these facts, it would be churlish to deny that in enabling India to rediscover the greatness of her past and create a new mindscape, the British scholars and civil servants played a significant part. To all of them, India owes a deep debt.
We should also not forget the miserable conditions of India when the East India Company started establishing its hegemony over the affairs of the country. Jadunath Sarkar, the noted historian, has observed: âThe country could not defend itself; royalty was hopelessly depraved or imbecile; the nobles were selfish and short-sighted; corruption, inefficiency and treachery disgraced all branches of the public service. In the midst of this decay and confusion, our literature, art and even true religion had perishedâ.
Plunder of Delhi
The degeneration had gone on to such an extent that Nadir Shah in 1739 and Ahmed Shah in 1757 were able to plunder Delhi with impunity and take away practically its entire wealth. The former slaughtered about 20,000 innocent Delhi citizens in a single day.
After the initial period of maladministration which was passionately denounced by the humanists like Edmund Burke, the British rulers built a steel frame of governance, the control mechanism of which rested with the Indian Civil Service â a service which justifiably earned for itself the reputation of being best in the world. It provided complete peace and unified the country through a vast network of roads, railways, post offices. Most members of the service displayed an enlightened attitude, and dispensed evenhanded justice. They came to be looked upon as ma-baap of the common folk.
Their work was not, as is commonly believed, confined merely to law and order. It extended to development. For example, the irrigation schemes, woven around the Chenab and Jhelum rivers, and setting up of a number of canal colonies, were remarkable projects of development which were carried out speedily and efficiently under the outstanding leadership of civil servants like Sir Alfred and James Lyall and Sir Malcolm Hailey. Their contribution led to what has appropriately been called the blossoming of the wilderness.
(To be concluded)
The author is a former Union minister
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not to mention Sir Aurtur Cotton in Andhra. Question is Sri Jag Mohan not aware of the origins of the canal projects in Punjab?