First war of independence: 1857

[acharya]

Correct north Indian bias in tourism, history books, says Durai Murugan
http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/28/stories/...660300.htm
Special Correspondent

Minister releases ‘Vellore Revolt 1806’ at VIT University

— Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan

Chronicling history: PWD Minister Durai Murugan (fourth from right) releasing the book ‘Vellore Revolt 1806’ at a function at VIT University in Vellore on Monday. VITU Chancellor G. Viswanathan receives the first copy. (From left) V. Shamugasundaram, former Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Sekar Viswanathan, Pro-Chancellor-1, VITU, book author K.A. Manikumar, G.V. Selvam, Pro-Chancellor-2, C. Gnanasekharan, Vellore ,MLA and R. Gandhi, Ranipet MLA, are in the picture.

VELLORE: Historians and authors of books on tourism should correct the north Indian bias and the neglect of Tamil Nadu and other south Indian states in books relating to history and tourism, Durai Murugan, Minister for Public Works Department and Law said on Monday.

Releasing the book, ‘Vellore Revolt 1806’ written by K.A. Manikumar, and published by VIT University, at a function held on the university campus here, Mr. Murugan was referring to the book ‘1,000 places to see in India before you die’, written by a foreigner, which he happened to read while travelling by flight from Madurai to Chennai recently. The book did not mention even one place in Tamil Nadu.

“Are not the Chithannavasal cave paintings in Pudukottai district, the Mamallapuram stone sculptures in Kancheepuram district and the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur places worth seeing in India?” he asked.

The Minister said the total omission of Tamil Nadu in this book could be attributed to one or more of the following factors: “that the author did not know anything about Tamil Nadu, that we had not projected Tamil Nadu adequately through books or other media, or due to some reason, the author had not done full justice to his effort”.

He said a perusal of the book showed that it contained more information about places in north India than about south India.

Mr. Murugan said authorsof books on India had not gone south of the Ganges, with the result that most books on Indian history and tourism neglected south India.

He, therefore, requested historians and writers to correct this north Indian bias in books on history and tourism by adequately projecting the historically and culturally important places in Tamil Nadu.

He said the people of Vellore district themselves did not know about the historical significance of many places in the district. “How many people know that the Chola king Raja Raja Cholan died in Brammadesam near Cheyyar in Tiruvannamalai district?” he asked.

Referring to the Vellore Revolt of 1806, he said a book published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook Society on the event had not properly projected the brave spirit of the native Indian soldiers when they revolted against the British Army officers of that time during the famous revolt that took place inside the fort.

He congratulated the VIT University, a technical university, on having brought out the book which dealt with history, with the objective of educating people about the historical event.
Translated version

G. Viswanathan, VITU Chancellor, who presided, said the University would get the book translated in Tamil by Mr. Manikumar. The university itself would release the book.

V. Shanmugasundaram, former Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, and C. Gnanasekharan, Vellore MLA, urged the minister to take steps to get history rewritten in such a way that the Vellore Revolt of 1806 and not the Meerut Revolt of 1857 was recorded as the ‘First War of Independence’ against the British rule in India. A.R. Venkatachalapathy, Professor, Madras Institute of Development Studies, and R. Gandhi, Ranipet MLA, spoke. G.V. Selvam, Pro-Chancellor-2, VITU, welcomed the gathering. Anand A. Samuel, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of VITU, proposed the vote of thanks.