Page 36 - Mann Ki Baat January, 2023
P. 36

Raghuvendra Tanwar
                                 Chairman, ICHR


                'India: The Mother of Democracy'
         An Attempt to Fill Historical Narrative Gaps


        The book 'India: Mother of Democracy', recently released by the Indian Council
          of Historical Research (ICHR), throws light on the democratic ethos of our
         civilization. The chairman of ICHR, Raghuvendra Tanwar, shared his thoughts
                                   on this book.

            The book, 'India: The Mother   Historical  Research  (ICHR),  to
        of Democracy', is an attempt      tell the world that we are a
        to correct historical narrative   ten-thousand-year-old unique
        deficiencies  and  fill  the  gaps   civilization.  We  have  many
        in the same. The Prime Minister   differences but there is an innate
        has been saying since long that   connection;  we   are  deeply
        it  is  a  matter  of  irony  for  such   connected to our roots.
        an ancient country, that the         Sri Aurobindo used to say
        British completely altered its    that from the Himalayas to the
        historical narrative in 200 years.   seas, we are a civilization. We
        This country was cut off from its   are indeed a political unit but
        roots and a country with a ten-   more importantly, we are a
        thousand-year-old     tradition   civilizational nation.
        was forgotten. We forgot our         As far as democracy is
        culture and got disconnected      concerned, it is at the core of
        from our spirituality. An altered   this book. The Prime Minister
        face of India was presented       has  time and again  said  that
        before the world.                 democracy is in our veins, it is
            The book is an endeavour of   in our blood. Democracy has
        30 authors, who got associated    not been imposed on us. Like a
        with the Indian Council of        tree, democracy in our country

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