Textbook lessons for historians at Bengal congress

Addressing delegates, from Pakistan, Nepal, UK and Bangaldesh, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said historians are at times perceived as the 8216;8216;monopoly suppliers of the past8217;8217;.

8216;8216;But the past sometimes happens to be distorted past,8217;8217; he added. The Speaker added that those who propagate the theory that Hindus and Muslims cannot live together should remember that the national anthem of Bangladesh was written by Rabindranath Tagore.

He warned against confusing 8216;8216;mythology8217;8217; with historical fact and using 8216;8216;political power to settle historical debates8217;8217;. Chatterjee also expressed his desire to have an 8216;8216;objective8217;8217; history of Parliament written for posterity.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, while asserting that 8216;8216;mythology cannot be considered science8217;8217;, said writings in history should be objective and dispassionate. 8216;8216;If that does not happen, historians will lose their esteem before the public,8217;8217; he said.