India that is ‘Bharath’ that is ‘Hindustan’ is going to disappear from the history books of the California Board of Education. Hereafter India will be called as “South Asia”. That is what is going to happen if the request of a small group of South Asia studies faculty to change the History Social Science Frameworks (Syllabus) so that the word "India" will be removed and replaced with "South Asia", is accepted by the California Board of Education.
These small group of ignorant South Asia studies faculties believe that India did not exist before 1947 and want a stereotypical and concocted generalization like "South Asia", to be used for almost all discussions of Indian history before 1947.
The ignorant or reluctant group of faculties do not have any knowledge about the history and culture of India that is Hindustan. The ancient scriptures talk about the traditions and culture of Hindustan. Many remnants of the Harappa and Mohenjodaro provides the evidences on the existence of ‘Hindustan’ that is ‘Bharath’. The ancient scripture ‘Srimad Bhagavatham’ outlays the existence of ‘Bharath’.
British engineers in the mid-1800's, while busy constructing a railway line between Karachi and Punjab, found the ancient, kiln-baked bricks along the path of the track. The archaeologists who later revisited the site in the 1920's, determined that the bricks were over 5000 years old. Soon afterward, two important cities were discovered: ‘Harappa’ on the banks Ravi river, and ‘Mohenjodaro’ on the banks of Indus. The civilization that laid the bricks, one of the world's oldest, was known as the Indus. They had a written language and were highly sophisticated. Dating back to 3000 BC, they originated in the south and moved north, building complex, mathematically-planned cities. Some of these towns were almost three miles in diameter and contained as many as 30,000 residents. These ancient municipalities had granaries, citadels, and even household toilets (even now many houses in the modern era does not have a toilet). In Mohenjodaro, a mile-long canal connected the city to the sea and trading ships sailed as far as Mesopotamia. At its height, the Indus civilization extended over half a million square miles across the Indus river valley.
The India that is ‘Bharath’ that is ‘Hindustan’ is the ancient country which is believed to have a history of more than 5000 years. And these so called historians who are ignorant about the ancient civilizations in Hindustan is now trying to spread their ignorance to the innocent children who opt to study History. Even during the occupation of British for more than 200 years, this country was known as Hindustan or India. The historical scriptures available depicts this country as India.
The ignorance or inferiority complex of these so called faculties to accept a great civilization that existed long before the history of many countries are nothing but foolishness. In this context what America has to be called before 1776 “Northern Western Hemispherical Landmass”? Does these ignorant faculties accept this?
It has become a fashion for the self claimed intellectuals to force on their fictitious claims onto the people and establish a new path of history. It is the responsibility of the California Board Of Education, to reject and throw this absurd request into the waste bin and respect the emotional and sentimental feelings of the people of India being called their country ‘India’ that is ‘Bharath’ that is ‘Hindustan’ and its culture ‘Hinduism’.
It is time to raise your voice! Sign the petition.
By Premji
