Skewed representation of history finds voice at Odisha Literature festival 

BHUBANESWAR: The North of India has been disproportionately represented in our history books compared to the South, said noted historian and writer Nanditha Krishna here on Sunday. Speaking on ‘North and South: Does Our History Need to Be Reoriented?’ along with co-panelist and author Parvati Sharma at Odisha Literary Festival 2022, Nanditha said many history books have little or no mention about the rich history of south India. 

The British didn’t want to talk about South in the colonial history as all the early revolts against them happened there. However, what is most unfortunate is that even the Indian historians post-Independence did a great disservice to the country when it came to narrating our history, she lamented.

Kalinga is another example. “We have never heard about Kalinga before or after emperor Ashoka. We also don’t remember that Ashoka was already a Buddhist by the time he came to Kalinga. He came here and threatened the tribes even after those hundred thousand people were killed in the battle and took back about 150 thousand slaves to Magadha,” she said.  

Agreeing no less, Parvati said, “In all histories some dynasties or some events have acquired disproportionate presence.” “This was mostly due to the colonial period of writing. The history that has been written by the Britishers some way countered and tried to position itself against the Mughals,” she said. However, Parvati summed up that India still remains one of the richest troves of history in the world.