Hyderabad Heritage Experts Advocate for History's Mainstream Revival
Heritage specialists voiced significant concern on Friday regarding history being marginalized for decades, stressing the immediate necessity to reintegrate it into mainstream discourse. The urgent appeal was made during the History Literary Fest hosted at Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet, where historians, conservationists, and educators united to spotlight India's overlooked past and its contemporary relevance.
Festival Aims to Build Cultural Awareness
Now in its fourth edition, this traveling festival is dedicated to fostering awareness about India's extensive cultural legacy and the numerous historic structures scattered nationwide. Tejaswini Yerlagadda from the Pleach India Foundation highlighted a widespread lack of heritage knowledge among the population.
"Approximately 80% of the country still requires education about our heritage and the treasures we possess," she stated, emphasizing the critical need to present history in engaging ways that connect with younger audiences.
Drawing from personal experiences with her children, Yerlagadda noted how Western narratives dominate social media platforms and influence aspirations, despite India's equally rich stories being inadequately communicated. "We are sitting on such wealth, but we don't know how to market it in the right way," she remarked, pointing to a significant gap in heritage promotion.
Exhibition and Panel Discussions Highlight Telangana's Past
An exhibition curated by the foundation featured inscriptions, ancient tools, and Mesolithic and Neolithic markings, providing visitors with a tangible connection to Telangana's layered historical timeline. A key panel discussion centered on two influential 20th-century statesmen: M Visvesvaraya and KM Panikkar.
The discussion referenced the books 'Engineering a Nation: The Life and Career of M Visvesvaraya' by Aparajith Ramnath and 'A Man for All Seasons: The Life of KM Panikkar' by Narayani Basu. Historian Amar Farooqui emphasized that both figures were profoundly shaped by their extensive engagements with princely states and the Deccan region.
"Visvesvaraya spent nearly 25 years in the Deccan, experiences that deeply influenced his engineering and administrative perspectives," Farooqui explained, underscoring the regional impact on their ideologies.
Visvesvaraya's Role in Hyderabad's Modernization
Author Aparajith Ramnath detailed Visvesvaraya's crucial contributions following the catastrophic Musi floods of 1908 in Hyderabad. "Invited by the Nizam government, Visvesvaraya proposed constructing two major reservoirs upstream and implementing a modern drainage system," Ramnath said.
These interventions laid the groundwork for Hyderabad's urban modernization, with his engineering background strongly informing his vision for civic planning and infrastructure-led development.
Panikkar's Multifaceted Career and Legacy
Writer Narayani Basu discussed KM Panikkar's diverse career as a historian, journalist, diplomat, and public intellectual, highlighting his deep engagement with nationalism, citizenship, and India's global positioning. She described Panikkar as "impossible to categorise," with his work spanning both colonial India and the early independence era.
Organizers Reinforce Festival's Core Message
Festival co-founder Rakesh Basant reinforced the event's central theme: "History must be reclaimed, communicated, and woven back into public consciousness. We are overwhelmed by the response and hope for more discussions in the coming days."
The festival's success underscores a growing movement to prioritize historical education and heritage conservation, aiming to bridge the gap between India's rich past and its present narrative.
