Debating in JNU is like an "anti- ageing treatment" as the institution was set up decades back with an idea of producing students who can question the established truth, noted Historian Harbans Mukhia today said.
"Debating in JNU is like an anti-ageing treatment as the institution was set up decades back with an idea of producing students who can question the established truth. After teaching history for 44 years, when I went to take my last lecture I prepared for three hours. That is the intensity of questions in JNU students that you just can't go unprepared," Mukhia said while addressing the students at the varsity.
He along with Romila Thapar took a lecture on "History and Nationalism: Then and now" which was 14th in the "nationalism teaching" series which are being conducted at JNU which is caught in a row over the February 9 event.
The classes are being held at the varsity's administration block which has been venue of the protest ever since students union President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested in a sedition case over the event.
"Questioning someone's idea of nationalism, doesn't make you anti-national, questioning someone's view on patriotism doesn't make you anti-patriot," he said.
"Nationalism is still a debatable concept even in advanced nations of the world. It is not a settled concept and it is our duty to question it," he added.
Warning against the habit to "essentialise" things, Mukhia said, "Whenever we talk of Kanhaiya, we tend to essentialise him as a Hindu boy above being anything else. Umar Khalid has been declaring from house tops that he is an atheist but we connect every dot with him being a Muslim because of his name."
"When allegations were being made that Khalid had links with Jaish-e-Mohammad, his sister had clarified that he had no links even with Mohammad forget being with Jaish-e-Mohammad. But this is how we tend to essentialise everything in the society," he added.
Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid are JNU students who, along with four others, have been booked in a sedition case over an event against hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.
Mukhia, a Professor of Medieval Indian history, also
spoke about how the colonial history looked at 'essentializing' identities of rulers and Kingdoms to Hindus and Muslims and thereby providing 'a distorted and false picture of Indian history'.
"Indian historians also adopted this, but things began to change in 1950s and 60s. Suddenly there was a wave of change when historians started talking of not just class but community and colonial legacy began to give way. In 1980s and 90s, a fascinating new world had opened. But the RSS and BJP want us to forget all this, and go back to James Mills (British historian) and view it as only a Hindu and Muslim thing," Mukhia said.
The historian added that JNU was a place that was set up to questioned established notions and that 'questioning nationalism doesn't make one anti national' but helps in understanding it better.
The classes, moderated by JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar, also saw activist Teesta Setalvad addressing students.
Saying that JNU had become a 'beacon of hope' for students across the country, Teesta Setalvad called for creating a 'coalition' to defeat the RSS and right wing agenda.
"They want 15 years so they can make a India a Hindu Rashtra. It may be difficult, problematic or complex, we will have to come together to create groups to fight this agenda," Setalvad said,
She also took a dig at the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) saying, "Jaise Jamiat-e-Taliba chalta tha Pakistan mein, waise ABVP chalta hai yahan."
The activist also lauded the teachers at JNU adding, "If the administration in HCU had been as sensitive and supportive of the students as in JNU, and paid attention to the letter he wrote in December, perhaps, he would have been here".
