After I completed my +2, I tried to get into a BSC course. It so happened that the seats in BSC those days were highly in demand and I could not get a BSC ZPC or BZC. When I was drifting aimlessly and unable to decide what to do next, opportunity knocked and I got admission into B.A (H.E.P).History, English, Political Science mainly because I studied Advanced English in my +2. This course was called B.A (Litt) during those days. Apart from English, we also had History.
In our first B.A, we had European History. Now History is a subject which has to be taught with a perspective and vision, since History means struggle, upheaval, transformation and progress. Karl Marx said, “Philosophers of many hues have interpreted the world. The idea is to change it. “ Our History teacher was Shri.P.K.Srinivasan or PKS as he was fondly called. He had a flamboyant style and directed his thunderbolt oratory at us from the podium in the classroom. Although they had heard him in their class, the Telugu medium guys flocked to the English medium history classes too to listen to him.
How I knew history till then was about memorizing dates, names, battles, books and incidents. PKS introduced history to us as the unfolding of an event, a cinema which has been faithfully recorded, an expansive portrait of life which highlighted not only the chequered corners but also the dark hidden spots. His comparative analysis of socio-economic-historical context was fascinating and on the very first day, he elaborated upon the rich culture that India had enjoyed, when in the 15th century Europe in the middle ages was still in the grip of primitive practices and customs.
His catch-phrases and colorful anecdotes keep ringing even today. When he was on the subject of France and its pre-eminence in Europe, he would say, “If France sneezes Europe catches cold.” The horrendous and terrifying days of the French Revolution we heard in his stentorian voice: the seeds of the revolution lay in the aimless and senseless misrule of his predecessors. Louise 14 infamously asserted “After me the Deluge.” In the second year we had History of Medieval India: On the subject of the Vijay Nagara dynasty we heard fantastic stories from him of the benevolence of Krishna Deva Raya, the munificence of his court, the demolition that succeeded the fierce battle of Talikota. Later after many years when I came across these famous quotes, I could comprehend the perspectives that History gives to the individual and the society.
“Following the light of the Sun, we left the old world.” – Columbus
“Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”- George Santayana.
‘People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” – James Baldwin.
The mad rush towards acquiring proficiency in disciplines like the Mathematics, Science or Computer Science has resulted in most students being aloof or unaware about History. Like most disciplines of the humanities, History is the connection between the individual, the society and the larger thought process.
The famous Telugu poet Sri Sri Sri says: “Not the palanquin of the ruler: But the bearers who held it. Name those laborers who lifted stones to build the Taj Mahal.”
It is the Poet’s anguish about the narrative that has dominated History ; The kings, the queens, the battles, the exploits, the titles and the plunders, the books and monuments etc. The cogs and the spokes of society, the nameless men and women who are the producers and the work-force of the world don’t get any mention. History as we have often read it is written by the victorious. The defeated and the vanquished do not get to write their history. Although I did not choose History for my post-graduation studies, the History lessons in graduation gave me grounding and refined my understanding that what matters is not only the load of information but also the voice, the point of view and the perspective.