We Need to 'Reinvent' the National Movement: Irfan Habib

On the occasion of Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad Memorial Lecture at Ghalib Institute in New Delhi on Saturday, eminent historian Professor Irfan Habib spoke about the interpretation of the history of the Indian National Movement. The programme, compered by Institute director Raza Haider, also saw former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad’s sons Purvez Ahmad and Justice Badar Durrez Ahmad; and Institute general secretary Sadiq-ur- Rehamn Qidwai, sharing the stage with Prof. Habib. He spoke to Rana Siddiqui Zaman on the sidelines

What’s the importance of the National Movement in today’s scenario, especially as the country has just seen an election?

India as a secular nation has never been in favour of a single-nation theory; only hardliners supported it, not the secular leaders. It was the result of such ideologies that we saw unwarranted changes in children’s text books. Such ideologies may find space again. In current times, therefore, we need to ‘reinvent’ the National Movement because it is part of the county’s history, the standing of which cannot be ignored.

What are the fields India needs to do more research in?

We should have a research balance. The West has a monopoly on the primary research. That has to be broken. Innovations like nano technology, nautical research, drugs and medicines which constitute the ground for the basic industrial structure or capital goods industry are best concentrated in the Unites States. That’s why we have the economic dominance of the West and it would continue if we ‘down work’ on our development.

What about research in social sciences?

This kind of monopoly is not there in social sciences. Still, Africans are in top grade and we are nowhere in Latin America. For instance, earlier we used to teach Chinese civilization in our history, now we don’t. If we do, we take an antagonistic approach. This is a very narrow-minded attitude. Therefore, I believe that researches have to be monitored and strengthened in the university systems, public sector R&D etc.

How healthy is India’s economic research?

We have no experts on the economic theory. We have one — Dr. Amartya Sen. If we don’t create more economic theorists, we will not be able to do any breakthrough in researches. It was way back in 1950s that Dr. P. C Joshi talked about the efficiency of small scale farming and it proved to be a breakthrough investigation. Today, we barely have any debate/brainstorming on social sciences as we silently accept the Washington Consensus of the free movement of the Capital. We are letting our ideologies be made up for us from the countries which have economic dominance on us. This is depressing.

What’s your opinion on India’s art, culture and heritage scene with reference to its history?

We have gravest difficulties in it. See our Amravati Sculpture is in the British Museum. We have difficulties in preservation and restoration. Many think that the Archaeological Survey of India is doing its job well, but all that it seems interested in is finding an antique and declare with pride that they have found it. Earlier, all universities used to get an encyclopaedic bi-annual publication on the ongoing and future researches. Now they have nothing. They just name a ‘district’ of the researched space with no other details. The editing of the publications has fallen. I can give you several examples of blunders committed by ASI purely as a historian. This isn’t a good sign either.