New Delhi: Prime Narendra Modi said that Indian history was written out of a conspiracy during the colonial era, erasing many unsung heroes from its pages. He said that Indian history is not just about slavery but also about emerging victorious.
"The history of India is not just about slavery. The history of India is about emerging victorious, it is about the valour of countless greats. India's history is about standing against tyranny with unprecedented valour and courage," the PM said during his address at the 400th birth anniversary celebrations of legendary Ahom general Lachit Barphukan.
He said that the collective sense of history was not limited to a few decades or centuries.
But he added that the history written out of conspiracy is still taught in educational institutions.
"After independence, there was a need to change the agenda of foreigners who made us slaves, but it did not happen. The stories of fierce resistance to tyranny in every part of the country were wilfully suppressed," PM Modi said. "The mistake of not giving those events in the mainstream is being rectified now."
PM Modi also recalled how Barphukan had kept national interest above blood relations and did not hesitate to punish his close relative.
Talking about Barphukan, the famous General of the Royal Army of the Ahom Kingdom of Assam who defeated the Mughals, PM said, "Lachit Barphukan's life inspires us to rise above the dynasty and think about the country. He had said that no relationship is bigger than the country."
He added that Barphukan successfully halted the ever-expanding ambitions of the Mughals under Aurangzeb. The unmatched bravery of the land of Assam and the northeast was evident as they had repulsed the invasions of Turks, Afghans, and Mughals, he said.
"Even though the Mughals had captured Guwahati, it was bravehearts like Barphukan who won independence from the clutches of tyrannical rulers of the Mughal empire. Barphukan's bravery and fearlessness is the identity of Assam," he said.
PM Modi said in the history of human existence, numerous civilisations that walked the earth seemed imperishable, but the wheel of time brought them down to their knees.
While numerous mighty civilisations were brought to their knees by the wheel of time, India, which faced unexpected adversities in history and withstood unimaginable terror of foreign invaders, stood imperishable with the same energy and consciousness, Modi said.
"This happened because whenever there was a crisis, some personality emerged to tackle that. In every epoch, saints and scholars came to protect the spiritual and cultural identity of India," he said.
He suggested creating a grand play on Barphukan on the lines of the 'Jaanata Raja' based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and enacting it in every corner of the country. "This will give a great boost to the resolve of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' (one India, united India)," he claimed.
During the event, Assam Chief Minister Himnanta Biswa Sarma said, "It is a humble request to historians - India isn't just the story of Aurangzeb, Babar, Jahangir or Humayun," but of Lachit Barphukan, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Guru Gobind Singh, Durgadas Rathore.