I'd like to make five points. 1)It is indeed a sad and shameful fact that Indian scholars do very little real research (William Dalrymple, author of 'The Last Mughal', has complained in the same vein). 2) Many scholars, chiefly leftists, have indeed distorted and whitewashed history according to current political convenience (long ago a great historian, Sir Jadunath Sarkar, pointed out much that was bad about Aurangzeb and his rule; later 'scholars' have done their best to ridicule and forget him, and make people forget. 3) As Gautier rightly says, it is by facing up to all that was BOTH good and bad about our history that we can hope to make a better future. 4) I am glad to see that so many other message writers want, above all, that communal peace should prevail in this tormented land. I could not agree more. But, while history should NEVER be used to spread hatred and strife, forgetting and corrupting history can never help to bring people closer. 5) My experience says that decent folks, whether they are Hindus or Muslims, do not spread communal violence; it is cruel and vulgar opportunists who do that, and it makes no difference whether they are educated in 'correct' history or not!
