India Must Face Its Past
There's a satisfying crash echoing across the globe these days. Can you hear it? It's the sound of bronze and stone hitting the pavement - statues of colonial 'heroes' being yanked from their pedestals by people who've finally had enough.
From Bristol to Brussels, historical figures once deemed untouchable are getting a long-overdue reality check. And it's about bloody time India joined this conversation.
Our landscape is littered with monuments that tell half-truths at best. We've been walking past them for decades, nodding respectfully at figures who represent some of the darkest chapters of our history. Colonial administrators who systematically drained our wealth. 'Saints' who massacred our ancestors. 'Pioneers' who trampled our culture underneath their polished boots.
But we still maintain these shrines to our oppressors. Perhaps because challenging them feels dangerously close to challenging the sanitized version of history we've been spoon-fed.
This isn't about 'erasing history' as some eminent historians would have you believe. That tired argument is nothing but a convenient shield for those uncomfortable with truth.
We're not erasing anything; we're finally reading the full text instead of the heavily edited highlights.
When we reassess historical figures - be it Francis Xavier who asked for the Goan Inquisition; or Shahjahan whose policies contributed to famines; or British administrators whose 'development work' came on the backs of exploited Indians - we're simply acknowledging reality.
These men weren't gods. They were deeply flawed humans whose legacies deserve to be viewed in their entirety.
It's strange that those shouting loudest about 'preserving history' are often the same folks who've never bothered to learn about the stories that were deliberately erased.
The monuments dotting our cities aren't neutral artifacts. They're statements about what we value, who we celebrate, and which stories we deem worthy of remembrance.
Every statue that remains unquestioned is a choice to continue privileging certain narratives over others.
What version of India are we building for future generations? One that continues to genuflect before colonial icons? Or one brave enough to reckon with our complex past?
