New Delhi [India], April 11 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday raised concerns over the rewriting of history and emphasized the consequences of engaging with the subject, stating that “India’s story cannot be reduced to a single thread.”
Addressing the National History Conference 2026 in the national capital on the theme “Revisiting the Muslim Contribution to Indian History, Society and Civilization,” Tharoor delivered a strong plea for historical pluralism, arguing that any attempt to “monolithize” the Indian narrative does a disservice to the country’s civilizational depth.
He noted that the discourse around history is shaped by various members of society, including institutions, politicians, and educators.
“The question of who writes our past is not confined to historians alone. It lies with institutions, politicians, educators, and those who shape public discourse. More broadly, it lies with all of us, for the way a society remembers its past is inseparable from how it understands itself in the present,” Tharoor said.
Tharoor emphasized that India’s strength lies in its ability to absorb, adapt, and integrate diverse influences over millennia, challenging contemporary efforts to streamline Indian history into a singular, exclusionary ideological framework.
“History is not simply inherited; it is interpreted, debated, and often contested. The way we engage with it carries consequences. India’s story cannot be reduced to a single thread without losing what makes it distinctive. It has always been a confluence of influences, encounters, and a shared, though complex, inheritance,” he added.
Tharoor highlighted that the “Indian story” includes Vedic chants, the architectural marvels of the Mughals, the democratic struggles against the British, and the scientific temper of the modern era.
The conference comes amid a broader national debate over school curriculum changes and the renaming of historical sites.
In this context, the latest development involves the NCERT Social Science textbook for Class VII, which includes an extensive section on the Ghaznavids, detailing Mahmud of Ghazni’s plunder of Indian cities and the killing of “infidels,” including Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and even rival Islamic sects.
The six-page section, titled “The Ghaznavid Invasions,” states that Mahmud of Ghazni conducted 17 campaigns in India, returning each time with large quantities of treasure. The previous NCERT Class VII history textbook had only a brief paragraph on Mahmud of Ghazni.
The new book, titled “Exploring Societies: India and Beyond,” issued on Friday, describes in detail the plundering of cities such as Mathura and Somnath. Mahmud conquered parts of India in the 11th century after defeating Jayapala and, in 1008, overcoming Jayapala’s son following a prolonged battle.
Tharoor, a history graduate, is also known for his books “Inglorious Empire” and “Pax Indica.” (ANI)
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