Visiting Indian scholar urges vigilance against erasing historical truths

TDT | Manama

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Much of modern history is being distorted, and the world must act urgently to protect historical truth before it vanishes, renowned Indian historian P. Hareendranath has warned during a visit to Bahrain.

“The duty of history students like me is to help ordinary people understand who the real figures of history were, before they are rewritten or erased,” he told The Daily Tribune in Manama.

Hareendranath, a former history teacher and author of two widely acclaimed historical books, said he fears the erosion of truth in public memory is accelerating.

“Many today write history without collecting, verifying, or interpreting facts properly. That is how myths and riddles replace reality,” he said.

Gandhi Example

The historian used the life of Mahatma Gandhi as a case study of distortion and neglect.

“The Mahatma is being made invisible in today’s world, yet his light only grows brighter with time,” he said.

He described Gandhi not as a figure of religion or region, but of humanity. “Gandhi saw no ‘otherness’. He embraced all people as human beings, not as categories.”

According to Hareendranath, Gandhi’s transformation began in South Africa in 1893 when he was thrown off a train for being perceived as Black.

That experience, he said, awakened Gandhi to systemic injustice and sparked his lifelong commitment to non-violence.

Books and Awards

Hareendranath’s historical works include India: Darkness and Light and Mahatma Gandhi: Time and Action 1869-1925.

The books, which took over a decade to complete, have earned him multiple awards including the Rashtraseva Puraskaram and the K.V. Surendranath Award.

He said his research taught him that many criticisms of Gandhi stem from ignorance.

“Once I explored his life through facts, I saw the difference between propaganda and truth,” he said.

Reading Revival

The historian also lamented the decline of reading in today’s digital world.