Caste Politics

Dear Friends, this blog is my email group discussion task which i had done as a part of my study at Department of English.

All students,

Two articles are shared for online discussion .

1) Interview of Historian Irfan Habib 

2) Caste-ing Ashoka in Bihar.

History is similar to memory. As in case of individual Memory of past (memory is alwaya about past) helps in organizing present and future. Similarly,  History helps in organising present and future of National / Society.

History is recalled, rewritten ans reinterpreted, time and again. All rereading or appropriation of historical figures/facts gives us understanding about the power and it's relation with History. (HISTORY IS ALWAYS WRITTEN BY THE WINNERS. The defeated are always disparaged in history).

You are invited to share your views / opinions of  the two writeups.  What do you think about the views expressed? Do you agree or disagree with the views? Why? What's your logic?

Respected sir,

My views regarding caste politics and Ashoka is as follow.

 First question is why politicians are remembering Ashoka  now?? Simply because of  elections. They actually have nothing to do with people or with history. They are only in vote banks.  We have discussed in the introduction   of the Modernist Literature by A.C. Ward that how susceptible untutored mind   (youth) were used by Hitler in war.  This kind of people are easily emotionally fooled by people. And caste is a factor which is medium to fool emotionally people. So politicians connects caste of great once with people so they feel bondage towards them and give vote on the name of great politicians.

History and power are closely connected. In Michel Foucalut’s word Power generates meaning about those who lacks power. And all the examples discussed in this articles are fine examples of this. Concept of naming is not innocent. Power operates behind this. There is hidden political agenda behind naming or banning the things. Things are same, whatever name we give to them. From structuralist point of view meanings are conventional, relational, arbitrary and applied. Even if we change name it doesn’t make any difference to that place. But it always happens that those who comes into power they changes name of cities, roads or places which is not innocent.

It is also true that history is written by winners. IT IS IMPORTANT TO JUSTIFY YOUR SELF. And winners easily do that. All great heroes were murderers but they were able to justify them selves. So the same case is in the history, that one is always hero in his own story. And sometimes history is also written by paying money. So there is conflict and definitely it will go on…..