Itihasa

Published on 20th May, 2022, in The Hindu. The word ‘history’ as we know it today, which means the scientific evidence-based understanding of the past, is less than 200 years old. The Sanskrit words ‘itihasa-purana’, both of which are translated as history, are over 2500 years old, and refer to cultural memories. But itihasa is different from purana. Itihasa is narrated by a poet who has witnessed the events of the story he is narrating. Purana is not witnessed, merely transmitted. Both can take the form of narratives (akhyana), or poetry (kavya) and epic ballads (mahakavya). In the Brihaddevata, a late Vedic text, we come ..

Published on 12th March, 2022, in Times of India. In ancient times, ‘itihasa’ meant stories ‘witnessed’ by the storytellers. So Ramayana is ‘itihasa’ because it was witnessed by Valmiki who wrote the story. Mahabharata is ‘itihasa’ because it was witnessed by Vyasa who wrote the story. The Brihaddevata is a Vedic text full of such ‘itihasa’, where rishis reveal how a mantra enabled them to summon a god. This was different from Puranic stories about Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva that were not witnessed by humans. Today, all these can be classified as mythology — as they are beliefs about the past. Some prefer classifying 'itihasa' ..

Published on 31st October, 2020, in Economic Times. If one travels to ancient Egypt, one sees gigantic monuments of Rameses II. These celebrate his victory against the Hittites, in Syria, in 1300 BCE, in the first real use of horse-driven war chariots in the world. However, if one checks with historical records and does a bit more research, one realises that this is clear, political propaganda. The war was anything but decisive. In other words, the Rameses monuments we find in Egypt, reveal royal propaganda done 2300 years ago. Such a rewriting of history by story-tellers and artists is not uncommon. The western world has ..