Need to re-look into approaches of history: Prof Punjabi

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NATIONAL SEMINAR ON “APPROACHES TO INDIAN HISTORY

Vice Chancellor Kashmir University Prof Riyaz Punjabi today felt the need to re-look into the approaches of history and fix the parameters and fill the gaps to study history in right perspective.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of the two day National Seminar on “Approaches to Indian History” organized by Post Graduate Department of History at Gandhi Bhawan hall at university campus today.

Vice Chancellor expressed hope that eminent historians from across the country will debate role of history in post modernist scenario and its relevance to understand the past in relation to future during the two day of the conference. Prof Punjabi said addressing the cognitive levels of students at school and colleges levels need to be reversed. Prof Punjabi said that in the last 20 years hundreds of books have been written on Kashmir but very few of them really project and represent Kashmir. VC asked the head department of history to hold a workshop exclusively on approaches to Kashmir history in near future.

Former Vice Chancellor Jamia Milia Islamia New Delhi Prof Mushirul Hasasn eminent historian of India in his key note address highlighted the contribution of Muslim rulers , intellectuals and social workers and lamented that the practice and methodologies adopted by a class to marginalize the Muslims and turn them into stereo types. Prof Mushirul Haq said that intelligentsia are the mirrors and windows of the society and in their contributions they should portray happenings around them in true bold colors rarther than shades of grey. . Prof Haq said that if Muslims are not finding proper mention in the epistemological discourses today then they have to look inside and come up with corrective measures. Prof Haq was highly critical of Arun shourie for what he termed his partisan approach to historiography and said that writers should be above considerations other than the academic ones while documenting facts.

Prof Mridula Mukerjee, Director Nehru Memorial Museum New Delhi in her address said that the great thing about history is that it locates you and she asked the students of history to have their own way to look at history after studying all possibilities

The seminar intends to focus on wide variety of themes pertaining to latest trends in contemporary historical analysis said Dr Farooq Fayaz Associate Professor department of history and seminar secretary in his welcome address . About 35 research papers on the theme will be read during the two days of the conference.

While speaking about the achievements of his department and underlying the objective of the seminar head department of History and organizing secretary of the seminar Prof B A Khan said that aim is to keep the students , scholars and faculty abreast with the latest trends on historiography. He said that the papers will focus on “History and Post Modernism, History and Globalization and new Approaches to the writing of regional History.

In the first technical session Prof. Aditiya Mukherjee spoke on Colonial Approach to Economic History ,Prof Sucheta Mahajan on Communalist Approach to History,Prof N A Baba History: Defining Agenda for Kashmir Political Discourse, Prof M A Wani on Looking History beyond Region-centric bunkers: Kashmir and the neighboring world. Noted historian Prof Fida Hassnain talked about Ibn Khaldun’s Approach to History and Sujaat Bhukari, journalist spoke on the Critical Analysis of Contemporary Historical works on Kashmir.