Date:14/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/14/stories/2006121413670500.htm

Other States - Rajasthan

History books lack credibility, says Shekhawat

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday said history books lacked credibility, as many of them were not based on facts.

As such, general awareness of the past was limited in the country and history books, which mostly were inspired in the past by rulers and kings, also contributed to the overall apathy towards taking the recorded version of history seriously, he said.

"The history books we have do not inspire people. They do not represent the culture and traditions of the people at large but only a section of society," Mr. Shekhawat said on the occasion of the release of "Rajasthan: Nutan-Puratan", a reference book on Rajasthan, edited by senior journalist and historian Sitaram Jhalani.

"The contents in the history books are often challenged," Mr. Shekhawat observed.

"Rajasthan: Nutan Puratan", co-edited by K.L.Kocher and L.C.Gupta, former civil servants, is part of a series of publications on people and places of Rajasthan brought out by a committee in the past headed by the Gujarat Governor Nawal Kishore Sharma, set up on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of the State's unification.

"The people have very little knowledge of Rajasthan's history," Mr. Shekhawat noted.