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| Abbreviation | ABISY |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1978-79 |
| Legal status | Active |
| Fields | History |
| Parent organization | Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh |
| Website | itihassankalan |
Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana is a subsidiary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), founded in 1978-79 with the objective of writing Indian history from a national perspective. It was envisioned in 1973 by Moropant Pingley, a pracharak of the RSS. The organisation holds that India's history was distorted by the British Raj, which created a false impression of Indian cultural diversity, and screened its uniformly Aryan past. The organisation runs regional chapters, which go by the name Bharatiya Itihasa Sankalana Samithi (BISS). Social anthropologist Daniela Berti states that the aim of the organisation is to rewrite Indian history from a Hindu nationalist perspective.
Ideology
The main leaders of the organisation have been described as having a Hindutva ideology. One of the main point in their program is to show that Aryans have not come from the outside but were the original inhabitants of India, in their version of history Indian diversities are superficial since they may be linked to a unique (Hindu) culture. ABISY believes in the (largely discredited) theory that the Aryans originated in India, and spread from there to the rest of Asia. It centers its historical work around Hindu scriptures. Daniela Berti states that one of the objectives of ABISY leaders in Kullu is to use snippets of local texts to make a connection to Sanskrit texts, as well as to show that village gods had a Sanskrit identity. Another stated objective is to scientifically prove the existence of the Sarasvati River.
According to the organising secretary Balmukund Pandey, the organisation also wants Indian historians to change their worldview and think about Indian history through an "Indian lens." It claims that the historians have been exposed to distortions and, so, it "brainwashes" them into writing history based on Indian evidence to "increase Indian self-respect". It claims that it has 500 professors associated with them.
Organisation
The headquarters of the ABISY is at Keshav Kunj, the Delhi office of the RSS. Under the central office are 13 ksetra or provincial offices, each run by a president. These centres are responsible for connecting ABISY ideology to local cultural lore and tradition. ABISY has links to historians from multiple universities. In July 2014, Yellapragada Sudershan Rao, the Head of the Andhra Pradesh chapter of ABISY was appointed as the Chairperson of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) by the National Democratic Alliance government headed by Narendra Modi.
Activities
In August 2014, the organisation claimed that it has completed four research projects, viz, retracing the journey of the Saraswati river, countering the theory that Aryans were foreigners, dating Mahabharatha, Shankaracharya and Buddha and emphasizing that the 1857 rebellion was the First War of Independence. It announced its next 10-year project to compile all Hindu puranas into an encyclopedia, get scholars to interpret its original meaning, and to put it forward as India's real history.
Publications
The ABISY publishes a journal known as Itihas Darpan (Mirror of History), edited in Delhi. A majority of the articles are written in English, while a few are in Hindi. The editors pay specific attention to giving the Journal scientific character. Emphasis on scientific framework is repeated along with the importance of providing references. They hold that not all local history is worth researching, but only those which have a "historical basis" and are aligned with organisation's ideology. However, this stated aim has been used to exclude viewpoints and local histories that contradict the organisation's Hindu nationalist ideology.
References
- "Rewrite history with a positive outlook". The Hindu. 5 July 2006. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
- ^ "RSS man will head historical research body". Times of India. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ^ Berti, Daniela (October 2006). "The Memory of Gods: From a Secret Autobiography to a Nationalistic Project". INDIAN FOLKLIFE (24). Retrieved 16 August 2014. Cite error: The named reference "Berti 2006" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- "Centre for Himalayan Studies". Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ Berti, Daniela (1 January 2007). "Hindu nationalists and local History: From ideology to local lore". Rivista di Studi Sudasiatici. 2: 5–36.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) Cite error: The named reference "Berti 2007" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ "Among new projects, RSS to focus on studying adivasis traditions". Hindustan Times. 21 August 2014.
- Iyer, Kavitha (3 July 2014). "Coming soon from Modi sarkar: RSS takeover of top research, cultural bodies". Firstpost.
- "History according to puranas: RSS's next big project". Firstpost. 18 August 2014.