History - Reflection

"What is history but a fable agreed upon?" - Napoleon

What is History? It’s merely a story about the past which has been told to us in various different ways, either through a textbook in school or through our teachers or even through our ancestors. And like any other story which is passed on through time, even history may have different interpretations and varying versions. It is almost always entirely dependent on the teller’s perspective and can change from person to person.

All over the world, history is seen and told from a different point of view. This is something which has been seen through the generations. Nothing in history is a fact, because every aspect can be altered because of the different biases that may exist. Every country most commonly tries to glorify her and glorify her victories, while simultaneously also belittles the victories of any other state. So how can stories like that be called facts? When they are just a series of tales which are added to as the years go by. Just like the fable of the tortoise and the hare, which is told internationally, history acts like just another story told to the world. But in each different society the version of this story is different, it is altered by the story-teller according to his perspective, and each perspective is only driven by the individual’s emotions and reasoning power.

Looking into Indian History and the partition of India and Pakistan, along with the main players involved- Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah amongst other; all are heroes or villains with respect to the two countries. Today, in India M.A. Jinnah is portrayed responsible, while in Pakistan Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru are seen to be entirely responsible for the partition. Which is the truth? What is fact and what is fiction? Who decides?

Recently a senior, respected politician of the BJP, Jaswant Singh wrote a book (Jinnah – India, Partition, Independence.), in which he praises Jinnah, calling him a great man. For this remark, his book was on the verge of being banned and more so he was expelled from the party he helped build. Was he not entitled to his opinion? And who decides whether Jinnah truly was a great man? How can anything be black and white, when so many grey areas prevail?

And therefore, when Napoleon said that, “What is history but a fable agreed upon?” He was entirely correct. Because history is nothing but a story, viewed from different viewpoints and told in different ways.