‘They came from Middle East’: Central body’s member secretary Umesh Ashok Kadam says he didn’t consider Muslim dynasties as “Indian dynasties” 

Team Clarion

NEW DELHI — The myopic attitude and bigotry of the BJP government at the Centre has seeped into many autonomous bodies working under different ministries. The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) is a case in point. 

This autonomous organisation which works under the Ministry of Education is holding an exhibition on Medieval Indian dynasties, highlighting 50 different dynasties. However, the exhibition is not featuring any Muslim dynasty.

Prof. Umesh Ashok Kadam, member secretary of the ICHR, said he did not consider Muslim dynasties as Indian dynasties. “They (Muslims) came from the Middle East and didn’t have direct connect with Indian culture,” Kadam was quoted by India Today as saying.

The exhibition on ‘Glory of Medieval India: Manifestation of the Unexplored Indian dynasties, 8th-18th Centuries’ at the Lalit Kala Akademi here is open to visitors till February 6.

“Islam and Christianity came to India during the Medieval period and uprooted civilisation and destroyed the knowledge system,” Kadam said, adding that while Islamic dynasties were certainly a part of Indian history, history shouldn’t be Mughal/Sultanate-centric.

The India Today report said inaugurating the exhibition, Minister of State (Mos) for Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked ministers to remove “colonial hangover”. Singh added that in the journey from azadi (freedom) to swaraj (self-governance), history should be refined.

The exhibition features 50 dynasties from all corners of the country, namely Ahoms, Cholas, Rathores, Yadavas and Kakatiyas among others. It focuses on their founders, capital cities, timelines, and contributions to India in fields like architecture, art, culture and administration.

The ICHR has said that the exhibition will soon be demonstrated at educational institutions across the country with the aim of apprising people of India’s unexplored past.