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
To read article in Marathi इतिहास शोधताना
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