EVERY new entrant to a craft or every practising craftsman should know not only the general principles of the craft but also the actual practise of the master craftsmen of the past. This holds good about the historian's profession also. Historical studies in modern India had started about the middle of the nineteenth century, and in the course of the first hundred years had developed to a remarkable extent. The contributions made by our early historians are not of any lesser importance than those in other countries in the corresponding period of development. New ideas of History had been developed and new methods had been applied in furthering the cause of historical studies in this country from the time of Raja Rajendra Lal Mitra to that of D.D. Kosambi or K. M. Panikkar. To understand the nature of the progress made during the first hundred years of historiography in modern India, it is necessary to study in depth the historical ideas, methodology and major historical writings of those who had contributed most prominently to this progress. Those who are now carrying on the torch lit by the pioneers, and those who aspire to do it in future, should know how the torch had been carried on by the past generations. And the purpose of the present volume is to help them in acquiring that knowledge. It will, perhaps, lead to the growth of new ideas and experimentation with new techniques in keeping with the advance in historical science in recent times. The knowledge of the experiences and practices of the past craftsmen will, it is hoped, lead to better craftsmanship and diversification of interest in future.
The present volume is mainly a collection of papers, read at the Sixth Annual Conference of the Institute of Historical Studies, held at Srinagar (Kashmir) in October 1968. The publication was delayed by about four years as we wanted to include a few more papers to make the volume a more comprehensive and representative account of historians in modern India. Actually, fourteen papers were later added to the twenty-six which were read at the Conference.
The principal theme of the Conference, which is now taken as the title of the volume, was 'Historians and Historiography in Modern India. The objective was to give a full account of the development of Indian Historiography in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries through the writings of some selected eminent historians from the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth. Altogether forty historians have been selected representing different parts of India, different periods and different fields of interest in historical studies. Of these forty, seven are British historians, writing on Indian history, and thirty-three are Indian historians.
A word about the criteria of selection. For obvious reasons we have not included any living historian, although some of them may have been more eminent and may have made greater contributions to historical studies then some of those whose names are included in the present volume. In a letter edition, perhaps, many new names may be added to make the volume more up-to-date. In selecting the names in the present volume, more attention has naturally been paid to the pioneers in different fields of Indian history.
Practically all the well-known historians of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth have been included.
We are quite conscious that our list of names may not please every-body. There are regional and sectional interests which would like to see more names of their particular group or liking included in the volume. We deliberately refrained from making the list too long to please these regional or sectional interests. Our purpose was not to produce a comprehensive Directory of Historians on the lines of the Telephone Directory, but to focus attention on the writings, methodology, ideas, bias, etc. of only the prominent historians in different fields of historical studies. That, in our view, is more useful and instructive than a Directory-like account of Indian historians.
We have the satisfaction that we have not left out any particular field in Indian historical studies in which substantial contributions have been made from the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth. Archaeology, Numismatics, Epigraphy, Genealogy, Political History, Administrative History, Social and Economic History, etc. are all represented by at least a few of the more well-known names. No doubt, during the period under review, some of the fields like Economic and Social History, etc. have not been developed to the same extent as some of the other fields, e.g. Political and Administrative History, Genealogy, etc. If in spite of that clearly known situation we are charged for having neglected some of the fields of history, we are helpless.
Hindu (930)
Agriculture (123)
Ancient (1098)
Archaeology (792)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (919)
Biography (720)
Buddhist (546)
Cookery (166)
Emperor & Queen (574)
Islam (244)
Jainism (319)
Literary (888)
Mahatma Gandhi (380)
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