Celebrating history beyond religion is very important: JNU VC at Delhi University seminar

New Delhi: Reducing India to a civic nation bound by a Constitution disregards its history, ancient heritage, culture and civilisation, JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit said here on Friday. Speaking at an international seminar at Delhi University, Pandit noted that India is a "civilisation state" and celebrating history beyond religion is "very important".

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"Reducing India to a civic nation bound by a Constitution disregards its history, ancient heritage culture and civilisation. I would place India as a civilisation State. There are only two civilisation States that had a tradition with modernity, a realm with the region, and change with continuity. Those two states are India and China," she said.

She was speaking at the plenary session on the second day of a three-day seminar titled -- Revisiting the ideas of India from 'Swaraj' to 'New India'.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor said universities are not competitors but collaborators. Speaking about the challenges of a distorted history, Pandit said history is 'his' story, but 'her' story "also has to come".

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Referring to British historian EH Carr's dictum, "Facts are sacred and interpretation can vary," Pandit said, "Unfortunately, independent India, and to a certain extent the university I belonged to, overturned this dictum." "Interpretation is sacred and facts can vary, and this varies," she added.