Venkaiah Naidu said there is a need to change the mindset of our younger generation

There is a need to "correct" Indian history, distorted by colonial rulers, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said on Thursday.

Speaking at the Punyabhushan award presentation ceremony, Mr Naidu asked historians, archaeologists, linguists and other scholars in the country to unite in order to re-create India's real history before the world.

"There is a tremendous potential to re-construct and re-correct Indian history, whose distorted forms were presented by colonial rulers," he said.

"There are many great names like Shivaji Maharaj, Shankaracharya, Rani Lakshmibai and more, whose contributions are not much heard of. We need to re-discover ourselves and present the real history of India to the world," Mr Naidu said.

India can become a strong nation only if "we do away with the social evils" and change the mind set of younger generation by teaching them the rich history of the country, he said.

"There is a need to change the mindset of our younger generation, who should be told about our rich history and past. Only then will India be a strong nation," Mr Naidu said.