News
Monday, December 02, 2013
Book in Dr Mubarak Ali’s honour launched
Staff Report
KARACHI: The work and writings of veteran historian Dr Mubarak Ali were eulogized by eminent speakers at the launching ceremony of the book “Challenges of History Writing in South Asia: Special Volume in Honour of Dr Mubarak Ali” on the occasion of 6th International Urdu Conference organised by Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi on Sunday afternoon.
The ceremony, presided by Indian historian and former vice chancellor of Jawaharlal University, New Delhi, Professor Harbans Mukhiya was addressed by a panel of speakers including Executive Director of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Karamat Ali; Chairman of Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi Dr Jaffar Ahmed; Syed Buland Sohail; Tasneem Siddiqui and Dr Riaz Shaikh of Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology. Pakistan Study Centre and Pakistan Labour Trust jointly organised the event.
Professor Mukhiya in his presidential address appreciated the writings of Dr Mubarak and said the latter has launched a movement against communalism in Pakistan. It is quite difficult to write history in India, but it is even more difficult in Pakistan, he added. “Dr Mubarak is doing it with a dedication and brevity.”
He pointed that the Indian history writers have changed the history writing patterns by making all types of history as Marxist history.
“History writing is a reflection of the mentality of the people and now there are many forms of the history like history of emotions, history of love, history of time and space. In India as well it is not so easy to write against communalism,” he said.
He added, “I don’t regret division of India due to two-nation theory, but this theory had actually impacted the world view of the communal harmony, which was prevailing in India since many centuries.”
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mubarak expressed thanks to all the writers who have written articles in the book. He appreciated Dr. Harbans for writing an article for the book and now attending its launching ceremony. He said history is a two-side sword, which can increase hatred, but it can also spread love and harmony. “We have tried to provide an answer of the hatred in our writings, which has been created by the previous historians.”
Karamat Ali, Executive Director of PILER said he learnt about history from the books written by Dr Mubarak, who has raised critical questions, which are actually made taboos in Pakistan.
“In Pakistan, history is distorted or restricted not to be taught in the schools,” he said. “There was a law in Pakistan that if Marxist literature was found from the possession of any citizen of Pakistan, he or she can be sent to the jail.
He regretted that there is a thought in Pakistan that India is our enemy. If this enmity is ended then what will be reason for our existence, he asked.
Tasneem Ahmed Siddiqui recalled his friendship with Dr Mubarak, which began in Hyderabad, when the latter was teaching history at University of Sindh, Jamshoro. He said the intellectual journey of Dr Mubarak started in 1972 when he rejoined Sindh University after doing PhD from Germany. “Dr. Mubarak Ali played a role as historian activist. He not only wrote on history and culture of Sindh but he wrote on how to write an alternative history,” he said. “For the first time it was accepted that history is not only a history of king’s court, but it is a description of people’s culture and a narrative of daily lives of common men.”
Dr Jaffar Ahmed, Chairman, Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi said the book contains writings of historians from both India and Pakistan, and Dr Mubarak has written on the lives of common people instead of writing about the courts of kings. “It is the reason that his books are available everywhere. I found a book of Dr Mubarak Ali in a shelf of a grocery shop in Turbat, Balochistan.”
“We need multiple histories, written by different schools of thoughts. The students should not be forced to read or study only one school of thoughts history in the curriculum.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk