3 ways Sunil Khilnani taught us to think differently about history

How do you fit your historical vision of a nation into 50 lives? Writer and professor Sunil Khilnani sought to answer this question by talking about his forthcoming book Incarnations: India in 50 Lives at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). Through a personal selection of 50 individuals from Indian history, Khilnani wishes to present his perspective on the nation's history and ideas, both past and present.

In the talk about historical figures and the historical tradition in India, here are our three big takeaways from the session:

1. "Do we have a pantheon of Indian historical figures? Should we have such a pantheon?"

Presenting a subjective list of individuals who reflected Indian history in important ways according him, Khilnani asked whether there could or should be a static notion of who forms this representation and how they should be represented.

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In his list, Khilnani ensured that the oft-ignored south India was well represented. But his list still disadvantaged the representation of groups like north-east Indians and women, often owing to problems like lack of sources. This shows how certain historical identities and entities eclipse others in the creation of historical narratives and are often portrayed in certain fixed ways.

2. "History is there to fight over. But we should be well-informed in those battles."

Khilnani is aware that people will question his selection or challenge his portrayal of historical individuals. But, as he said, the book is an "invitation to an argument". We often forget that debate is one of the purest acts of honing the intellect.

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Rather, debate turns to slander and is negatively portrayed as dissent. Khilnani, instead, welcomed a challenge to his position, but only if it was as academically sound as his own and not based on flights of fancy.

3. "History is the lifeblood not just for understanding the past but to understand what to do next."

Khilnani emphasised upon the need to revitalise the youth in India towards the discipline of history that is presently taught in a "dead" and "varnished" manner. He connected the problem of a lack of able Indian historians to a larger societal concern by arguing that history served as a map for democracy to chart its course. Thus, generating interest in history is not merely an academic concern. It is a national priority.

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