Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday called for erasing every trace of “colonial mindset”, and urged writers to shape “positive discourse” on India through fiction, non-fiction and other creative forms.
The LG inaugurated the third edition of the Kashmir Literature Festival here, an official press release said.
It said addressing the gathering, the LG urged writers to shape “positive discourse” through fiction, non-fiction and other creative forms and inspire people because writer’s craft lives not only in words, but in the pulse of people.
“We must erase every trace of the colonial mindset and ensure that people abroad do not distort our history and present to serve their own narratives. It is the responsibility of writers to correct such errors and take the truth to global readers,” he said.
Sinha said Indians should repeatedly remind the world that “when the Vedas were composed some 6,000 years ago”, India was the centre of the world’s economy, education, culture, and philosophy.
“For centuries, India was the engine of global civilisation and culture. It laid the foundations for socioeconomic advancement across the world through its gift in science, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine,” he said.
The LG said there is an urgent need to restore history and convey its true form to every section of society so that India’s narrative is properly shaped.
He said since the Vedic age “our ancestors recorded facts and transmitted knowledge with great accuracy” but for various reasons India lost the habit of writing its own history in modern times.
“We failed to communicate our priceless traditions, culture, knowledge, and sciences and that’s why many people claim that certain things came from other places or were introduced by the invaders. These assertions are baseless,” he said.
Sinha said that foreign historians have, sometimes deliberately, omitted India’s ancient discoveries and achievements in science, literature, art, and architecture.
“When India stood at the peak of scientific achievement, many countries showed almost no mention of science. The earliest references to science, mathematics, and astronomy in Persia and other places appear only in the eighth century, and even those owe much to India,” he said.
“Europe’s first Renaissance in the 12th century drew on India’s treasure of knowledge, science, culture, and art. Centuries before any other countries discovered invention and innovations, India had already established itself as a scientific civilisation,” he added.
Asserting that “India’s modernity has often led the world, with scientific contributions unmatched in history,” he also said that writers should present the creation of our nation’s great talents in simple, accessible language.
“India’s story is not only of the past but of the present. Despite centuries of subjugation and plunder, we have risen to become the world’s fourth largest economy, the fastest growing major economy for years, and by 2047 we aim for a fully developed nation,” he said.
“Today, pride and ownership of this heritage are awakening across society. The task is not self-praise, but for respected writers and thinkers to build India’s new narrative on this strong foundation. They must remember that writers have the power to change civilisations,” the LG said.
