Nationhood is built by those who share common sense of history & common vision of future: NSA
Nationhood is constituted by people who share a «common sense of their history» and a «common vision of their future», National Security Advisor Ajit Doval said as he released an 11-volume book series on ancient India.
Addressing a gathering at the launch of the series at the Vivekananda International Foundation here on Tuesday, the NSA said, «People who have got a different sense of history, 'if my hero is your villain', you and I cannot make a nation.»
Describing India as a "civilisation of antiquity" and «civilisation of continuity» spanning thousands of years, Doval also said that it was a «paradox» that the narrative that has been brought is that probably, «the first chapter about Indian history in any western, this thing… is that it starts with Alexander».
«Our self-image, our identity is deeply connected to your own perception of history, and… perception of what you are,» the NSA said.
He described the series as not an end, but a «means to an end», and the end objective is to build «a nation on the basis of a sense of common heritage, of common background from which we come from, having pride in our ancestry and achievements of the past, and having a vision for the future».
There are a few aspects about Indian history that nobody questions, including «our detractors», he said.
«One is its antiquity, that it is one of the oldest civilisations, and probably a human life had evolved, and society had perfected it to a very high (level). Now, who did it? Were they the original people or they came from
