Saturday, January 28 2006 11:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Santiniketan (WB): Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today (Jan 28,2006) said that historians must guard against 'saffronisation' or 'crimsonisation' of history and avoid trying to find answers to bitter controversies through a non-objective approach.

''Saffronisation and crimsonisation are of no consequence. There should be a continuous judgement and dispassionate pursuit of the truth,'' Mukherjee said while inaugurating the 66th Indian History Congress (IHC) here.

Mukherjee urged historians to work out a blue print for corrective and concerned attempt to study the history of the Indian subcontinent 'because those who don't learn from history, tends to repeat it.'

Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said history was too serious a subject to suit interest or hidden agenda of any political party.

''There has to be a rationale and objective to study history and analyse it. Divisive interpretation of history based on religion or politics is unwarranted,'' he said.

Chatterjee also urged historians to guard against being influenced by political powers to analyse debated issues of history.

IHC general president Prof D N Jha said the congregation of historians was against jingoistic, communal and obscurantist perception of India's past.

''It is for us to check that no discussion in history are allowed to be chronicled in this country,'' he said.

The IHC would see a congregation of over 1200 delegatesfrom across the country, Bangladesh, Iran and the UK. For the first time, an official delegation from Pakistan would also attend the Indian History Congress.