2. Historiography : Indian Tradition
Explain the following concepts.
(2) Nationalistic historiography.
Answer:
i. The writings of Indian historians who were trained in the British educational system show an inclination to restore the pride in the ancient glory of India and the self- esteem of the Indian readers. Their writings are known as ‘Nationalistic Historiography’.
ii. Nationalistic writings in Maharashtra were inspired by Vishnushastri Chiplunkar. He criticised the prejudiced history of ancient India written by British officers.
iii. The nationalistic historians tried to seek the golden era of Indian history. They are at times blamed for ignoring the critical analysis of the historical truth.
iv. The nationalistic historiography helped in the triggering of the independence movement of the Indian people against the British.
v. Mahadev Govind Ranade, Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Rajendra Lal Mishra, Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Kashi Prasad Jayswal, Radha Kumud Mukherjee, Bhagawan Lal Indraji, Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi and Anant Sadashiv Altekar are the names of some renowned scholars among the nationalistic historians.
vi. The nationalistic historiography provided a momentum to the writing of regional histories too. As a result the attention of historians was drawn to the geographic conditions and history of south Indian regions.
