The JNU administration has asked for Romila Thapar’s CV (biodata)! Romila retired in 1991 and is currently the Professor Emeritus at JNU. She is one of the greatest historians this country has ever seen. In the same league as Sir Jadunath Sarkar, RS Sharma and Bipan Chandra. Being a serious historian is no joke.
Contrary to the popular perception, history is much more than “raja-rani ke kisse“. Sir Jadunath Sarkar, a Bengali babu moshay, learnt Persian to write on Mughals! It is said that Sir Jadunath Sarkar knew more about the Mughals than all Mughal Emperors!
Academically speaking, Sir Jadunath was the greatest Mughal Emperor, though he never sat upon the “takht -e -taus” (the Peacock Throne). Ms Romila Thapar is to ancient India what Sir Jadunath was to Mughal India. I read her book when I was preparing for UPSC civil services exam. Her scholarly work helped me immensely to crack the world’s toughest exam. I also read her guru AL Basham’s book ‘The Wonder That Was India’.
Romila is a “khandani” lady. She comes from a very eminent intellectual family. Valmik Thapar, India’s greatest authority on tigers, also comes from the same family. Few people know that Valmik Thapar is Bollywood star Shashi Kapoor’s “jamai raja” (son-in-law). Romila Thapar has twice turned down Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour. Now, the JNU administration has the audacity to ask for Romila’s CV!
Pygmies will evaluate a giant! Reasons are not far to seek. Romila is a staunch leftist, imbued with Nehruvian ideals of secularism, democracy and liberal values. Narendra Modi, himself a graduate in “Entire Political Science”, can’t stand her. He is more comfortable in the company of Smriti Iranis and Sadhvi Pragyas. Therefore, the JNU administration has put Romila Thapar on its hit-list. She is being treated like a little school girl who is supposed to recite nursery rhymes!
The RSS is bent upon saffronising history. HISTORY IS BEING REPLACED WITH HYSTERIA. Ancient hysteria, medieval hysteria and modern hysteria! Tipu Sultan is reviled as a blood-thirsty tyrant just because he was a Muslim. Tipu was the only Indian king who died fighting the British. Savarkar is projected as a hero. Even the outcome of the Haldighati Battle is being retold. Rana Pratap is declared the winner of the battle by RSS historians. Projecting Rana Pratap as the hero of Haldighati also ensures Rajput votes for the BJP in the caste-ridden mobocracy that the Indian democracy has become.
Educational institutions have been turned into dens of politics under the Narendra Modi regime. Rohith Vemula’s tragic suicide is a case in point. The Dalit research scholar at the Hyderabad Central University was a bright student with stars in his eyes. But he was targeted by the ABVP, BJP’s students wing. His fellowship was discontinued. He was thrown out of the hostel. Finally ,the frustrated young man hanged himself as India continued her march to become a “vishwa guru“. Only yesterday, Bandaru Dattatreya, who allegedly tormented Vemula, was made Himachal Pradesh Governor. Rohith’s mother Radhika Vemula has been running from pillar to post to seek justice for her departed son. Meanwhile, Bandaru Dattatreya will watch snowfall from his Shimla Raj Bhawan!
Kanhaiya Kumar, another bright student, was slapped with sedition charges just to discredit the Left. Thanks to the Indian mobocracy, he lost Lok Sabha poll while Sadhvi Pragya, an accused in the Malegaon bomb blast, now sits in the Indian Parliament!
JNU has been singled out for total destruction because it is a Red Fort, a Left stronghold. At the JNU campus Laal Salaam has triumphed over Jai Shri Ram. A JNU Vice Chancellor in his infinite wisdom suggested that an Army tank should be displayed at the JNU campus to instill patriotism among students. Why only a tank? I think that the JNU VC should use the Agni Missile as his official vehicle!
I think that Romila Madam should put in her papers instead of submitting her CV. When Narendra Modi will be thrown into the dustbin of history and all his chamchas will be forgotten, Romila Thapar’s name will shine like the sun.
Meanwhile, let Narendra Modi set up an inquiry commission to ascertain whether Kalidasa had a proper Sanskrit marksheet or not!
(Mr. Amitabh Kumar Das is a 1994 batch IPS Officer. His views are personal. )
