Kevalaodhi Buddhist And Jaina History Of Deccan Vol 2

Author(s): Aloka Parasher Sen, B Subrahmanyam, E Siva Nagi Reddy
Publisher: Bharatiya Kala Prakashan

Page 149

INDIA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
K. PADDAYYA
It is a privilege to have been invited to contribute an article to a volume meant for cherishing the memory of Professor B.S.L. Hanumantha Rao, one of the distinguished historians produced by Andhra Pradesh. Although I never had the good fortune interacting with him at a personal level, I am happy to record that he was my teacher by proxy. As an under-graduate student of history in Andhra University I used extensively for my studies Professor Hanumantha Rao's textbook (in two volumes) The History of India. I was deeply impressed both by the comprehensive and objective treatment of the various topics dealt with in the book and by the mellifluous English language in which Professor Hanumantha Rao conveyed his subject matter. I am also very pleased to learn that Professor Hanumantha Rao's outlook in life was shaped by the ideals of humanism, liberalism and rationalism. Given this liberated bent of mind, I presume he would have appreciated any efforts made towards strengthening the topic of educating the public about the country's cultural heritage. In the following pages I would like to highlight the contemporary relevance of this topic.
India is one among the four important centers of ancient civilization in the world. It has 4000 years of recorded history, to which there was a long prelude of prehistory comprising hunting-gathering and early agricultural ways of life and spanning a million years. India's cultural heritage encompasses various spheres: art and architectural traditions, religion and philosophy, literature, scientific thought, and arts and crafts. It is also pluralistic in content and is made up of Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina, Christian, Zoroastrian, Muslim and even colonial components. This composite heritage is preserved to us in the form of memory, historical writings, and relics and monuments.
A deep sense of the past is imprinted on the Indian ethos and an average Indian regards the composite past as a matter of national pride and as source of inspiration. Unfortunately, however, in recent times certain trends have been set in motion, which tend to alienate us from our moorings in the past. Further, our composite past has been made a bone of contention and a source of tension at local and national levels. It is therefore not surprising that many have started wondering whether we deserve our historical appendage and a feeling has been generated that our past, instead of serving as a source of enlightenment, has become a matter of anguish.
The most recent expression to this feeling of anxiety about the past was expressed by no less a person than former President K. R. Narayanan. In a message sent to the 62nd session of the Indian History Congress held at Bhopal in December last year (2001). The President reminded the historians of the warning given by the eminent thinkers Eric Hobswam of the possibility of history books forming into