"Need To Relook At Our History": Economist As PM Offers Prayers At Iconic Cholapuram Temple
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Shiva temple, has put the spotlight on the Chola empire, especially on the time of Rajendra Chola, who stood tall when northern India was under Muslim rule. This, however, was not an area or a period that gets much attention -- the study of history being "Delhi-centric", said economist and historian Sanjeev Sanyal, pointing to the big takeaway from the Prime Minister's visit.
"We need to begin to relook at our history and think about our great ancestors as a vigorous people," said Mr Sanyal, explaining that the popular conception of Indians as a passive people who are thankful to invaders -- from Muslim to British -- for bringing in technology, culture and cuisine.
Our ancestors, he said, "built great temples, they built entire new cities when necessary".
"This is a much more vigorous view of ourselves than, you know, we are waiting for somebody to conquer us and give us the railways," said Mr Sanyal, who is also the Principal Economic Advisor to the government.
"These were vigorous, risk-taking people, happy to go to war with each other sometimes or with foreign invaders. But the point is, this were not a passive people. And instead, the only person in our history of our, you know, pre-Islamic history that we celebrate is Ashoka. And the only reason we celebrate him is because he was passive, because the empire collapsed under him," he added.
He said he was "glad the Cholas are being celebrated," but they were not the only people who had left their mark on the history of southeast Asia.
"Even Tamil Nadu itself has many others. The Pandyas, the Cheras, which are from next door in Kerala, the Pallavas, and then the Gajapatis and all the kings of Kalinga, who also had these great maritime linkages to Southeast Asia. The western coast of India has amazing history of links with the Roman Empire and so on," he said.
Even in the north, there was more than what gets most attention.
"Whether you have the Ahoms of Assam or the Pal dynasty and the Sen-s of Bengal or the Kadambas of Goa or the Chalukyas of Maharashtra and the Rashtrakutas, we all have amazing histories for every part of the country. But somehow we are obsessed with this Delhi-centric view that, you know, we should all be grateful to the Mughals for biryani," he added.
The Cholapuram temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site built around 1030 by Rajendra Chola, stands as evidence of the affluence of the of the empire under him. It was built around two decades after the Tanjore temple and in the same style.
The Prime Minister's visit comes ahead of next year's assembly election in Tamil Nadu, where the BJP is trying hard to carve out a niche.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Backwardness Index: 71% BCs caught in deep backwardness
Hyderabad: As the proposed enhancement of reservations for Backwards Classes (BC) occupies a central place in the state's political discourse, the Backwardness Index (BCI) has revealed important insights. The index, created by a group of experts using data sourced from the Social, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political, and Caste Survey (SEEPC), shows that 71% of the 134 BC sub-castes were close to deep backwardness on the composite BCI. The BCI is a unique initiative designed to assess the socio-economic status of various communities in the state. The findings, to be discussed at the cabinet meeting on Monday, which are in the exclusive possession of TOI, indicate that 243 communities have been assigned scores ranging from 0 to 126, with an average score of 81. In the composite backwardness index, a higher score (126) signifies a greater degree of backwardness, indicating significant barriers to progress, while a low score (0) reflects relative advancement and improved living conditions. The scores of a staggering 99% of Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities, 97% of Scheduled Caste (SC) communities, and 71% of Backward Classes (BC) reflected more backwardness (above 81%), highlighting significant struggles across 42 evaluated parameters for these communities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo Notably, none of the forward castes, including forward castes within the Muslim community, have an average score below 81, indicating that they are exempt from the levels of backwardness reflected in this study. However, sources indicate that, in practice, no caste has been able to achieve either the maximum score of 126 or a zero across the board. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Telangana has 59 sub-castes among Scheduled Castes (SC) and 33 sub-castes among Scheduled Tribes (ST). The caste survey has revealed that non-Muslim Backward Classes (BC) make up 46.25% of the population or 1,64,09,179 individuals. Additionally, Muslim BCs account for 10.8% of the population, which corresponds to 35,76,588. When combining these two groups, the total population representing Hindu, Muslim, and Christian converts from SCs is 56.33%. The expert committee has meticulously identified 42 essential parameters from a comprehensive survey questionnaire, which delve into crucial aspects such as literacy rates, educational attainment, and patterns of asset ownership. These parameters are methodically arranged along a spectrum that categorises groups from 'most backward' to 'least backward,' providing a nuanced understanding of social stratification. To deepen this analysis, several sub-indices have been developed, each targeting specific dimensions of backwardness. These include the social backwardness index, which examines community cohesion and social networks; the gender backwardness index, highlighting disparities in gender equality; the educational backwardness index, focused on access to and quality of education; the occupational backwardness index, which assesses employment opportunities and job types; and the living conditions index, evaluating factors such as housing quality and access to essential services.
India.com
38 minutes ago
- India.com
Free Trade or Colonial Bias? After India-UK FTA, Homegrown Liquor Makers Accuse British Market Of Discriminating Against Indian Brands
New Delhi: The ink was barely dry on the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) when a new unease began brewing, not in trade offices, but in the distilleries of India. A growing number of Indian liquor companies say they are feeling left out and locked out. While the FTA has opened India's gates wider for British gin and Scotch with reduced import duties, the doors to the U.K. market, they claim, remain unfairly barricaded for Indian-made spirits. At the center of the anger is the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC), a body that speaks for India's local liquor manufacturers. According to its Director General Anant S Iyer, what India removed in tariff walls, the United Kingdom has maintained in 'non-tariff barriers', rules that may not show up in price charts but block access all the same. 'The United Kingdom and even the European Union (EU) do not allow fair imports of most Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) products into their markets due to non-tariff barriers related to maturation and ingredients. We only wish that the Indian government had stood firm on the issue of non-tariff barriers,' he said. The bone of contention is the UK's strict definition of what can be sold as whisky. The British standard mandates that whisky must be matured for a minimum of three years. This rule is applied to both domestic and imported spirits. But Iyer says what works in cold European cellars does not work in the Indian climate. 'In India, the maturation is much faster due to the tropical climate. If we keep it for three years, we lose almost one-third of the spirit to evaporation. That is a financial loss. It also changes the flavour profile. It is a punishment for making whisky in a warmer land,' he explained. Because of the three-year rule, Indian whiskies that mature faster due to heat are disqualified from calling themselves 'whisky' under British law. Instead, they must be labelled as 'Indian spirits', a description that, Iyer says, cuts them off from mainstream whisky shelves and consumer attention in the United Kingdom and Europe. 'We want to be allowed to call it Indian Whisky or Indian Rum or Indian Brandy. Let consumers decide. Let the market decide. Right now, we are kept out simply because we do not age our spirits in cold basements,' he added. The CIABC has now urged the Indian government to actively pursue the matter with the United Kingdom. They argue that without reciprocal access for Indian products, the billion-dollar export vision for the Indian liquor industry will remain out of reach. 'The government has set an ambitious target of achieving $1 billion in exports from the Indian alcobev (alcoholic beverage) industry by 2030. However, without ensuring proper market access, it will be difficult to meet this target. Though Indian whiskies, rum, gins, wines, etc. have been winning accolades globally, the lack of removal of non-tariff barriers and absence of reciprocal market access will make this export target hard to achieve,' Iyer said. There is also growing concern about what is flowing into India. While British spirits are now allowed in at lower duties, Indian manufacturers fear that Scotch whisky and other bottled-in-origin (BIO) liquors may soon dominate Indian shelves by being routed through third countries at cut prices, hurting the premium Indian market before it even matures. To counter this, the CIABC has recommended that the Indian government fix a Minimum Import Price (MIP) on such foreign products. 'The government has incorporated MIP in the India-UK FTA on rum, brandy and other liquor products. The only exception on this count being Scotch Whisky/other whiskies/Gin originating from the United Kingdom,' Iyer added. He urged the government to monitor billing data and use technology to trace each bottle from port to shelf. 'We hope the government will ensure that Scotch whisky and other BIO spirits are not dumped in India at low import prices or routed through any other country at cheaper rates. This will hurt the growth of premium and luxury Indian brands,' he said. For now, India's liquor makers are pouring their hopes into diplomatic channels. Their demands include recognition, fairness and a level playing field. 'We do not want favours. We just want the right to sell our products under the names they deserve,' Iyer concluded.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Detention of Bangla-speaking migrants: Bhasha stir begins, Mamata to march in Birbhum today
As the Trinamool Congress on Sunday launched its Bhasha Andolan campaign over detention and deportation of Bangla-speaking migrants in several states of the country, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to lead a protest march in Birbhum town on Monday. The march will commence from the Tourist Lodge intersection and conclude at the Jambooni bus stand, followed by the chief minister's speech. On Sunday, she reiterated her charge against the BJP of unleashing a regime of 'linguistic terror' on Bengalis in the country, claiming that members of a migrant family were beaten up by the police in Delhi. Banerjee shared a video on X of a child and his mother purportedly belonging to a migrant family from West Bengal's Malda district, who were allegedly beaten up by the police in the national capital. 'Atrocious!! Terrible!! See how Delhi police brutally beat up a kid and his mother, members of a migrant family from Malda's Chanchal. See how even a child is not spared from the cruelty of violence in the regime of linguistic terror unleashed by BJP in the country against the Bengalis! Where are they taking our country now?' she wrote. Banerjee had last Monday accused the BJP of unleashing 'linguistic terrorism' on Bengalis, asserting that the fight for identity and language will continue until BJP is defeated. Speaking at the TMC's annual Martyrs' Day rally, she had announced that from Sunday, a movement would start in West Bengal to protest against 'attacks on Bengalis, the Bengali language and linguistic terrorism'. Marches were organised in Bhawanipore and Sealdah in Kolkata and elsewhere in Chuchura, Bankura, Birbhum, Cooch Behar by TMC workers, who held placards highlighting 'harassment and persecution' of the migrant workers in Assam, Odisha, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Maharashtra by the police in those states. TMC MLA Asim Majumdar led the rally at Khadina More in Chuchura, where he asserted that the 'double-engine governments' in those BJP-ruled states were 'deliberately harassing' Bengali-speaking migrants despite producing documents like Aadhaar cards and Voter ID cards. 'As stated by our Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, we have started this 'language movement' from today, which will hit the streets every weekend till the middle of August in the run-up to Independence Day. We will not take the persecution of Bengalis lightly,' he asserted. TMC leader and North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha led another march at Dinhata in Cooch Behar, vowing to resist the 'attempt by the BJP to strike off names of legitimate voters from voter lists, and send Indian citizens from Bengal to detention camps for electoral gains'. Thousands of TMC activists took part in the rallies in Sealdah and Bhawanipore with placards displaying Bengali alphabets and slogans against 'torture on Bengali-speaking people by the BJP outside West Bengal'. The processions disrupted vehicular movement in parts of central and south Kolkata.
