Indian history is being remade in the Capital. Delhi University's Sanskrit department has decided to undertake a thorough study of history textbooks of various state and national boards to prepare a detailed report on the representation of 'Vedic Age and Aryan Culture' and suggest revisions to correct 'misrepresentations'.

The Sanskrit department, which recently announced that it will be embarking on a project to prove India's Aryan people were indigenous, and not migrants as claimed by Western and Marxist historians, will start its study of history textbooks soon and submit its final report to the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) with a request for corrective measures. "Aryan culture and Vedic age is not being reflected in its true picture in textbooks of almost all boards, including the Central Board of Secondary Education and state boards. Only Western and Marxist views are being reflected at present. We will study and make a report on what should be reflected in books. The Aryan Migration Theory (AMT) is debatable, so why not give students the version of Indian historians too? We will rely on textual evidence and research findings of the last 100 years. We want a revision," Sanskrit department head Ramesh Bhardwaj told Mail Today.

Bhardwaj said he is aware that the move could take political colour, but insisted it should be looked upon as a purely academic initiative. "We are academicians and our work will be purely based on available texts, recent findings and studies. We do not have expertise on the Mughal or Buddhist era so we can't comment on that. Our expertise is in Aryan and Vedic culture so we will limit ourselves to that," he said.

Bhardwaj said a team of research students and retired as well as currently serving professors from the department will work on the revision and submit their report within a year. "This will be a massive academic effort and will take at least one year. We aren't in touch with anyone from the HRD Ministry as of now and will contact them only when we have all the documents to prove our findings," said Bhardwaj.

Historians are a divided lot. Many suggest that academically such a study should be welcomed, while others declare that history-writing should be best left to historians. Historian and former DU Professor D.N. Jha called the Sanskrit department's move "laughable". "The Sanskrit faculty is incurably gripped by the 'Batra Syndrome'. My sympathies! They do not know history. They do not know Marxism. They do not know what Westernisation is. What they will present will be a big joke. One can only laugh at what they are doing," Jha said.

Noted historian and Head of DU's History department Upinder Sharma said that while everyone is entitled to a view on history, history-writing involves a rigorous, critical analysis of sources and analytical thinking. She said that making pronouncements on history-writing, whether in school books or elsewhere, is something that is best left to historians. "I do not know about this project and am not sure whether this is exactly what the Sanskrit department proposes to do.

Ancient Indian history is a very rich subject that consists of numerous issues besides Vedic and Aryan culture. There can be many interpretations of the past, and one can agree or disagree with them, but to claim that prevailing representations in school textbooks are 'untrue' and that these have to be 'corrected' suggests a very simplistic understanding of the discipline of history," she said.

Nirmal Kumar, an Associate Professor of History at Sri Venkateshwara College, said that there is no harm in looking at this as an academic step as there can be many versions to history. "I am in favour of regular revision of interpretation in the view of new facts and new material conditions, and hence there is no harm in revision of books in an academic manner," he said.

The revision move comes even as a section of historians are crying themselves hoarse over a series of attempts by right-wing academicians and social organisations to saffronise education since the swearing-in of the BJP government. Recently, Dina Nath Batra, convener of Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti, claimed that he met HRD Minister Smriti Irani and suggested reforms which are already being incorporated by the new government.

The HRD ministry has maintained a stony silence on the issue of saffronisation of education with Union Minister Smriti Irani maintaining her ministry will abide by all "constitutional modalities". There were unconfirmed reports that Irani had asked her ministry to develop educational material that encapsulates the contribution of ancient Indians. Irani later rejected allegations that her ministry was trying to push books written by Hindutva ideologues.