Rewriting History

The Indian Express reported on 1 April 2017 that the Punjab government proposes to do away with the period of British occupation of Punjab in school textbooks of history. The idea is to erase the memory of enslavement of a proud and heroic nation of warriors.

But, if implemented, it is likely to make way for unforeseen damage. It could also erase the memory of Punjab’s glorious contribution to the freedom struggle: from the Ghadr rebellion, through the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, to Bhagat Singh. And, it would omit the horrors of partition, which, it must not be forgotten, was the result of communal politics. Over all this looms the shadow of imperialism, which, for some reason, the rulers of the country want us to forget.