In Search of History

 In Search of History

“Forests are encroaching on human settlements…”
“The forest swallowed up the city in a few years…”

We often read such phrases in novels, but few years back, during my visit to Ross Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, I saw this happening in real life.

Ross Island, now called Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, has a fascinating history. Once, it was the administrative capital of the British in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Named after Captain Daniel Ross, a marine surveyor, this island was a powerful symbol of British dominance. The British took control of Ross Island in the 1850s and ruled it for almost 80 years. They built luxurious buildings like the Chief Commissioner’s bungalow, a bakery, a church, a tennis court, and more, earning it the title “Paris of the East.”

But nature has reclaimed its place. Today, the grand buildings are overrun by roots and vines, swallowed by trees like banyan tress and many varieties of Ficus family members.

In Search of History

Standing there, I remembered lines from a Hindi poem by Rupesh Srivastava:

खंडहर की भी अपनी कहानी है,

देखा है इसने सभ्यता को बनते, बिगड़ते,  खत्म होते,

गूंजी हैं यहाँ असंख्य किलकारियां, ठहाके, रुदन और चीखें,

सजी हैं यहाँ तमाम डोलियां, सेहरे और अर्थियां,

गवाह है ये अनेक किस्सों का, कहानियों का।  ………………

………………………………………………………..

…………. मिट जायेगा एक दिन, ये अंतिम अवशेष भी दब जायेंगे,

ज़मींदोज़ होकर भी छोड़ जायेगा कुछ निशानियाँ,

जिसे खोज निकालेगी कोई नई सभ्यता, लिखी जायेंगी फिर से किताबें,

गढ़ी जायेंगी फिर से कहानियाँ, नई कहानियाँ!

"खंडहर की भी अपनी कहानी है।"

'Ruins also have their own story!'

This visit made me reflect on how archaeologists’ piece together the past from remains.

A few years ago, I joined an archaeological excavation with students from Deccan College. Holding a fragment of pottery, we tried to imagine the life of the people who made it. What tools did they use? What were their beliefs?

History is like a giant jigsaw puzzle,

except few most of the pieces are missing.

And this puzzle doesn’t just span space

—it spans time; the third dimension.

Discovering History in Everyday Life

Learning history isn’t just about reading textbooks.

It’s about looking around us and asking questions.

For example, the temples in our villages have stories hidden in their names. In Maharashtra, many Maruti (Hanuman) temples have names like Visava Maruti or Ves Maruti.

Do you know these names tell us about their purpose?

Visava Maruti means “Maruti temple where you can rest”

 a place where funeral processions would pause, take a small break.

Ves Maruti refers to

a temple near the village entrance (Ves means gate).

When we dig deeper into such names, we uncover stories about how villages expanded, how boundaries changed, and how people lived.

Even the words we use daily carry historical thread with them. We need to locate that thread.  For example, take a word, Tamarind, Indian merchants carried Imali to Arabia, where it was called Tamar-e-Hind (meaning “Indian Date”) because of its similarity to dates. When European traders asked for this Indian date, Tamar-e-Hind they abridged Tamar-e-Hind…. Tamareind,…. Tamarind. From there, the word traveled to Europe and evolved into tamarind.

Isn’t it amazing how a single word reveals

centuries of history of trade and cultural exchange?

There is a saying in Marathi:

“You should not trace the origin of a Sage or a River.”

Exploring the origin of a river can be both enlightening and educational. While I may not be able to speak about tracing the origin of a sage, but the folklores we hear, the objects in our homes, and even the things in our surroundings all have stories to be traced. The things around us all hold stories waiting to be discovered. They want to tell us stories about them.

Sketching these stories and understanding the deeper meanings behind them

is at the heart of what studying history truly means.

Understanding these stories is what history tracing is all about.

Tracing the journey of something from its origin to its present form

is not only an enjoyable activity

but also, a valuable way to deepen our understanding of history.

It enriches our perspective and helps us appreciate the layers of meaning

behind the world around us.

To understand the stories behind the things around us,

we must cultivate curiosity and ask thoughtful questions.

During our trip to the Andaman Islands, we visited a place called Homfreyganj. The name immediately caught my attention—it combines a British name, "Humphrey," with the Indian word “Ganj,” often associated with villages like Gaon, Pur, Halli, Palli, or Pooram.

This suggested a mix of influences. Who was the British officer Humphrey? Did migrants from Bihar or Chhattisgarh settle here?

Exploring these questions through local stories and evidence can uncover the history hidden in the name. Even if answers remain elusive or contradictory, each discovery offers new insights and learning opportunities.

The history of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is deeply intertwined with colonization and migration. For those passionate about history, traveling through these islands can reveal countless traces of this fascinating legacy.

Discovering living with History

Maharashtra is blessed with a profound legacy of the Sant Parampara—a tradition of saintly wisdom and spiritual guidance. However, when we engage in Naam Smarana by reciting names like “Jnaneshwar Mauli, Jnanaraj Mauli, Tukaram,” we rarely pause to consider the historical timeline of these revered figures. 

Often, we chant the names of saints such as Nivritti, Jnaneshwar (Gyandev), Sopan, Muktabai, Eknath, Namdev, and Tukaram in a random, mixed sequence. Yet their actual birth years tell a different story. For instance, Namdev was born in 1270, followed by Nivritti (1273), Jnaneshwar (1275), Sopan (1277), and Muktabai (1279). After a significant gap of over two centuries, Eknath was born in 1533, and Tukaram in 1608.

This means that in our recitations, we often leap back and forth across nearly four centuries, unintentionally overlooking the historical flow. A conscious awareness of chronology and time span helps us truly appreciate the depth and continuity of the Sant Parampara. It is meaningful to visualize the chronological order of these saints: Namdev, Nivritti, Jnaneshwar, Sopan, Muktabai, Eknath, and Tukaram. Doing so not only deepens our historical understanding but also enriches our spiritual connection to this remarkable legacy.

History Around Us

Yesterday, while leisurely walking through my society’s parking lot, I noticed a mix of bikes—from brand-new ones belonging to modern riders to broken-down models with missing tires, including some sleek new e-bikes. Among them were many two-wheelers from Bajaj, such as the iconic Chetak, M50, M80, Sunny, Pulsar, Spirit, Discover, and Platina.

If you were to photograph only Bajaj two-wheelers around us, both in use and out of use as source information and then gather information like their launch dates, registration numbers, purchase details, and prices, you could create a fascinating history of Bajaj bikes.

Expanding the study further to include vehicle prices, sales figures, government policies, technological advancements, and even the evolution of the tagline “Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer,” would make it even more comprehensive.

Even the simplest everyday objects around us carry untold stories.

They are quietly holding a piece of history.

For instance, look at the bikes in your parking lot—some old, some new. If you study when each model was launched, who owned them, and how their design changed, you could write the history of Indian bikes.

Similarly, items like old photographs, electricity bills, or even kitchen appliances can help us understand how technology, economics, and lifestyles have evolved.

However, such a study begins with one key observation: the vehicles in the parking lot come from different eras. Only when this is noticed then the idea to explore their history truly take shape.

Everyday objects in our homes—such as lighting fixtures, appliances used or no longer used for heating, kitchen tools, family photographs spanning four generations, electricity bills, and property tax receipts—are all quietly telling us stories.

If we take the time to understand them, they reveal the history of technological change and development over the past hundred to hundred and twenty-five years, along with the economic, political, social, and cultural transformations that have shaped our lives.

By understanding these shifts—scientific, technological, economic, political, social, and cultural—we gain a deeper awareness of the present, enabling us to live more meaningfully.

To truly comprehend the present,

an understanding of history is not only important but essential.

While researching history, one must first cultivate curiosity about words, oral or written literature, objects, materials, customs, and traditions. Once this curiosity arises, it leads to an active search for reliable sources of information. These sources should be critically examined and questioned to assess their credibility. Based on the insights gained, one can then formulate conclusions. If new sources are found—offering fresh perspectives or interpretations—they should be used to enrich or, if necessary, revise those conclusions and present them anew.

The Joy of Exploring History

History isn’t just about the past—it helps us understand the present.

When we study how societies transitioned—scientifically, economically, or culturally—we gain a deeper perspective on the world.

Curiosity sparkles with a simple shift in mindset

—by questioning about the world around us and

setting out on a journey of exploration.

As teachers and students, we can use this approach to make history come alive in our classrooms.

By remaining inquisitive,

asking meaningful questions,

and linking the past to the present,

we can discover history not just in books, but in the world that surrounds us.

After all,

history is everywhere,

We just have to learn where to look for it.

Prashant Divekar

Jnana Prabodhini, Pune

To read articles in this series 

History Teaching-Learning

To read article in Marathi इतिहास शोधताना