Written By Ojas Koneripura (Grade 12)
In April 2023, The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) announced the reduction of topics in the history textbooks. The board decided to reduce topics and chapters related to ‘Kings and Chronicles: The Mughal Courts (16th and 17th century)’. This was something that had gotten up on everyone’s radars. But this is not how history should be taught. I personally believe that the Mughals should be a part of our history. Some people celebrated this move, as they had a belief that removing Mughals would end their glorification. If the Mughals are removed, how will the children of today know their true history? When will the people finally stop believing in fabricated and false narratives? When will we be taught the truth?
There are plenty of people who still have that old and rusty colonial thought process, those who instantly believe the narrative of the West related to India without much knowledge. These were some, who were appointed to write the history of Bharat, for textbooks, post-independence. And when it comes to Mughals, we have been thoroughly brainwashed into thinking that they were great, they were religiously tolerant, they maintained this tolerance through matrimonial alliances, had a very powerful army and much more. But little do everyone know their true colours. Babar came to Bharat and murdered countless Hindus. He made piles of the skulls of those Hindus killed by him, in the Battle of Khanwa, 1527. Akbar, the so-called “great”, well-known for his “religious tolerance” and “matrimonial alliances” with the Rajputs, killed approximately 30,000 non-warrior Hindus, after annexing Chhittorgarh, defeating Raja Udai Singh in 1568. History textbooks only state how badly the army of Rana Pratap was crushed in the Battle of Haldighatti, 1576, but completely fail to mention the casualties suffered by the Mughals.
When it comes to one of the most glorified Mughals, who is described as the great king to have ruled the entire sub-continent of Bharat, from Kashmir in the north to River Kaveri in the south, from Kabul in the west to Chittagong in the east, very few textbooks speak of his dark stories, his heavy losses and embarrassments. This is of course none other than the monster Aurangazeb. That Aurangazeb who murdered 4.6 million Hindus during his reign, that Aurangazeb who beheaded Guru Teg Bahadur, decapitated Chhatrapati Sambhaji and demolished the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in 1669. Does anyone have any idea of him trying his level best and failing hopelessly to defeat the Ahoms of Assam? The Ahoms who were successful in handing bitter defeats to Aurnagazeb, not once, not twice but seventeen times. Do they know that Aurangazeb lost 120 battles against Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj? Everyone has access to internet, but they can be carried away with false narratives. It is our responsibility as Indians to not get skewed by these misrepresented facts and learn the complete picture.
Hence, removing Mughals is not the key. Alongside their portrayal as great kinds, we must also describe their debauchery, losses and hatred towards other religions.
Featured Image Courtesy – Mint
