INDIAN COUNCIL OF HISTORICAL RESEARCH NEWSLETTER lekpkj Vol. 13, Nos. 3 and 4, July-December 2016 CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN Yet another page turned over with the ringing out of 2016. In the infinite time, passing out of year may not be very significant. But in the material world with mortal beings, every minute counts. On every passing year, we are expected to make an assessment of what we were able to do so as to see the gap between the expectations and fulfillments. The activities of the first half of the last year were already reported in our earlier two newsletters. Therefore, we give a brief report on our performance during the second half the series of Environmental History of India of the year. The new projects envisaged in to be published very shortly. the first half of the year are activated during During this period, ICHR organized a the period under report. The translation 21-day workshop on Indian Epigraphy of French sources on Indian history is in for the benefit of young research scholars good progress. The project on Modern India and teachers, keeping in view the dearth of studying politics and demography in the trained epigraphists in the field of historical border areas is also progressing satisfactorily. archaeology. The programme was conducted In the project on History of Science and by Professor Michel Danino, Member of the Technology some important segments have Council of ICHR. We also conducted series been identified and assigned to the experts of lectures on various vital issues in history in the respective fields to commence work. by distinguished scholars from India and We are expecting to get the first volume in abroad. Celebrating National Education Day vkbZ-lh-,p-vkj- lekpkj Newsletter Vol. 13, Nos. 3 and 4, July - December 2016 on 11th November, 2016 on the birth anniversary requirements in designing the collaborative of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, we arranged programmes. A policy document has been a scholarly talk by Professor Shivaji Singh on prepared and approved by the Council. the topic WITH VEDA IN ONE HAND AND SPADE IN THE OTHER: WRITING EARLY The Documentation Centre has also HISTORY OF INDIA-AFRESH. registered commendable progress in providing digital resources access portal One more significant event was the and digital archives service for the benefit celebration of National Unity Day on of scholars. It is quite heartening to note 23rd November 2016, by arranging a panel that a good number of scholars have taken discussion on the ‘Integration of Indian advantage of our e-services. Union and Sardar Vallabbhai Patel: A Relook’. The discussion was well attended We also initiated a full-fledged history and well received. I am very glad to bring journal in Hindi and released the first volume to your kind information that the German during period. Also, in December 2016, Vol. Historical Association (DFG) invited the 43, No. 2 of Indian Historical Review was Chairman, ICHR, to their conference in published by ICHR in collaboration with Hamburg University held from 20 to 23 the House of Sage. September 2016 to address the Joint Session Another significant event is that the on the theme “How to Write a Transnational Western Regional Centre of ICHR shifted History?” and for delivering the welcome to the campus of Deccan College, Pune. address. Along with the Chairman, two other The Centre was inaugurated in a heritage members of the Council, Professor Narayan building of the university. We have plans Rao and Professor I.S. Vishwakarma, to open regional centres for east and north participated in the panel discussion. The also along with the existing west, south and Conference was attended by a good number north-east centres to provide the services of distinguished scholars from India. During of ICHR to our research communities from this period, besides academic experts, the relatively close quarters. officers of the Council were also deputed to participate in the training and exchange Of course, we are not content with what we programme arranged by EU-India platform have done. Perhaps we could do more and (Equip) at Finland and Shanghai. we could do better. ICHR also thought of framing a clear policy So, we continue to strive for a better for the Cultural Exchange Programme with performance in the coming New Year. foreign academic bodies for the first time to impress upon the other stakeholders to Wishing you a Happy New Year 2017. keep in view bilateral interests and research 2 vkbZ-lh-,p-vkj- lekpkj Newsletter Vol. 13, Nos. 3 and 4, July - December 2016 just 65 kms away from Arabian sea, the CONTENTS river Krishna flows for about 1400 kms through Karnataka and Andhra and meets Chairman’s Column 01 the Bay of Bengal at Hamsaladevi (Krishna Selections From Chairman’s Diary 03 district). When one looks back for its origin Major Projects 09 in the Puranas and local legends, the River ICHR Lecture Series 11 Krishna is none else than the Lord Vishnu National Education Day Celebration 14 Himself, taking with Him, the other two of National Unity Day Panel Discussion 16 the Triumvirate, Lord Siva and Brahma in the form of Venna and Koyna rivulets, as its National Workshop on Environmental 20 History of India tributaries. Workshop-Cum-Training Course on 22 The Satavahanas, Vishnukundins, Epigraphy Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Qutb Shahis, Publications 26 Vijayanagara and Asafjahi dynasties built Library-Cum-Documentation Centre 32 powerful kingdoms in the upper Krishna Cultural Exchange Programme 35 basin and their authority extended down the Regional Centres 38 lower basin as the Krishna river waters flow down the stream. Contributions made by ICHR Staff in 48 Academic Field Each river has its own account of collective Staff News 49 human experience gathered in constantly Research Funding Schemes 50 changing socio-political-cultural milieus of its basin to convey to us. For example, Great River Saraswati has given the fund SELECTIONS FROM of Vedic knowledge, the river systems of CHAIRMAN’S DIARY Sind and the Ganges have given us Itihasas and Puranas. Each river has its own unique • 3rd August 2016: National Seminar on contribution to the Bhartiya culture which is ‘Krishna Nadi Parivahaka Pranta Charita itself unique in the world cultures. Perhaps (History of Krishna River Basin)’ on the this may be the reason that a dip in the holy eve of Krishan Pushkaralu, organized by river with reverence gives us great merit. Department of Archaeology & Museums, Our ancients have recognised 12 holy rivers Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Srisaila Veebhudi having great histories of civilisations and Lingeswara Trust, Srisailam cultures developed in their valleys and ask us to have a dip in these rivers at least once Inaugurating the seminar, the Chairman in the year of its completion of 12-year cycle said: (pushkara). The Hindus revere these by invoking the waters of these rivers in the “Starting from Mahabaleswar in Maharashtra, 3 vkbZ-lh-,p-vkj- lekpkj Newsletter Vol. 13, Nos. 3 and 4, July - December 2016 holy pots (kalashams) in all their daily or from the 18th century onwards. It was a occasional (nitya and naimittika) religious total paradigm shift from the indigenous r itu a l s .” Indian time-honored dharma based history writing to adopt the Western approach and format, which confines itself only to mundane history. In Indian tradition, history is simple, direct, objective and instructive. The ancient Hindu enquiry into the past was so deep that it was going to the roots of human existence and also into the unseen governing forces of this universe. The Chairman, ICHR, participating in the National ancients have substantially established Seminar at Srisailam that this is not the only creation, but there are several creations co-existing • 20.08.2016: Chairman’s message for and repeating themselves since times Seminar on “fo"k;% bfrgkl n`f"V] bfrgkl unknown. They found that the creation ys[ku ,o bfrgkl ds lzksr] LFkku% bfrgkl foHkkx] and transformation were not a one-time cukjl fgUnw fo'ofo|ky;] dk'kh (mÙkj çns'k), affair, but a continuous process. They organisd by Rashtriya Mahila Itihaskar, discovered that each universe has its Department of History, Benares Hindu own governing body and a well laid out University, Varanasi hierarchical organizational structure. The Chairman, addressing the women The human governance is formed on historians at BHU, Varanasi, emphasized the the principles of universal governance paradigm shift in history writing. He said: that is Dharma. Therefore, the aim of indigenous Hindu historiography is “History writing in India today, in my meant to facilitate man to realize his view, stands at the crossroads leading oneness with the universe by evolving to several unknown destinations himself on the spiritual sphere. Its and without any desirable aims or objective has been to guide humans to objectives, roughly after seven decades live in harmony with one another and of Indian independence. Despite having also with the Nature in the mundane a great historical tradition, backed world. Its methodology is two-fold – by unparalleled and encyclopedic going deeper into himself dwelling on literature, and philosophy explaining the question (Tapas) and observing the world and beyond, we were forced to the nature and functions of the Nature begin using the western format and the around. So, Hindu methodology has English alphabet by the colonial masters been dependent on experiencing the 4 vkbZ-lh-,p-vkj- lekpkj Newsletter Vol. 13, Nos. 3 and 4, July - December 2016 ‘Self’ and also on the participatory men. The historiography has become observation of the world for Eurocentric. The histories of European understanding the entire phenomenon colonies are the worst affected. Even of existence. It promoted the application after achieving political freedom, of reason to understand the society and they are still confined to the rigid the world.