The Role of Historians
Historians must bring the past to life through rigorous research, using evidence as the foundation.
Research requires critical evaluation of evidence, its authenticity, proximity to the event, and logical inferences.
Reason must guide historical analysis, not external explanations or beliefs.
Memory vs. Professional History
Popular memory is not bound by historical research standards and may differ from professional history.
Memories of events, people, and phenomena can persist even if they are not supported by evidence.
Examples like the myth of Akbar's Nav Ratnas or the Jodha Bai story show how popular memory can diverge from historical facts.
Nav ratnas : No one had in Akbar’s time. The ones counted in the group of nine included some fake ones, but the notion of Nav Ratnas is a much later popular creation, perhaps not before the 18th century.
There was no Jodha Bai in Akbar’s harem and that Jahangir’s mother was Harkha Bai, a princess of Amer, but Jodha Bai does not disappear from sight
The Power of Memory in History (Ayodhya Example)
The Babri Masjid case highlights how popular memory can alter historical understanding.
Despite historians and archaeologists providing evidence that no Ram temple existed at the site, the memory of the association between Lord Ram and the site prevailed.
The 2019 SC verdict acknowledged the historical evidence but ultimately gave land for the construction of a Ram temple, showing memory's influence over history.
Holistic Reconstruction of History
Historians must consider both archival data and popular memory to provide a complete understanding of the past.
Social media today amplifies both genuine recollections and distortions of the past.
A holistic approach requires engaging with popular memory, including everyday conversations and silences, to fully understand historical narratives.
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