30-Dec-2019: Promote composite culture: Indian History Congress
The 80th session of the Indian History Congress (IHC) was held at Kannur, Kerala, between 28th and 30th December 2019. It called upon political and administrative authorities to pursue the constitutional duty of promoting composite culture, which is vital to promoting the territorial unity of India.
A resolution passed by the IHC executive committee said politicians should refrain from making inaccurate statements to turn mythology into history or promote rewriting of history to arouse divisive statements, pointing to the constant refrain to change school syllabi.
The committee expressed concern at the maintenance of monuments such as the Red Fort, now being auctioned out to private agencies.
The resolution called for an impartial review of the arrangement by the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology or any other recognised body of experts.
The panel observed that the national education policy had many alarming features needing serious critique. It raised concern over the policy document that called for infusing a heavy dose of Sanskrit in all levels of education, while defining contemporary knowledge and pedagogy that proposes this knowledge as static.
The committee expressed concern at the adverse condition for research in Jammu and Kashmir, owing to the shutdown of the Internet and libraries and non-functioning of education institutions.
25-Feb-2019: 79th Indian History Congress commences in Bhopal
The 79th Indian History Congress (IHC) will be held at Barkatullah University in Bhopal Madhya Pradesh from 26th February 2019.
Earlier the 79th Indian History Congress was supposed to be held at Pune but was canceled citing financial constraints to host the congress.
The Indian History Congress will be held at Madhya Pradesh for the second time. Earlier it was held at 2011. Over 1,000 delegates including prominent historians are expected to participate in the IHC in Bhopal.
Background: In 1935, an All India Congress was organised by the Bharata Itihasa Samshodhaka Mandala (BISM) to celebrate its silver jubilee. The event resulted in the inception of the IHC. It is the largest professional and academic body of Indian historians with over 10,000 members. The primary objective of Indian History Congress is the “promotion and encouragement of the scientific study of Indian history”. The Indian History Congress holds annual sessions on five sections namely:
- Ancient India
- Medieval India
- Modern India
- History of Countries other than India
- Archaeology
Role of IHC:
- To regulate the standard of works of history produced in India.
- To promote impartial and substantive history.
- To commit to a fair and scientific history, devoid of bias and politics.
It passed significant resolutions regarding the protection of monuments of historical importance and the role the government and Archaeological Survey of India should play in their preservation.
In 1946, it petitioned the government to allow researchers access to archives.
It also began to engage with the history taught in schools and colleges and in 1948, it resolved to contribute to the syllabi in universities and colleges across the country.
The Indian History Congress stands for collaboration with historians throughout the world and promotes the study in India of the history of other countries.