Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 10 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar hit the headlines on Tuesday after he claimed that wrong things were taught about the history of India, adding that Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama did not discover India and they would remove it from their syllabus in the state.
“Wrong things were taught about the history of India. Vasco da Gama did not discover India. Vasco da Gama did not discover the sea route; our people already knew it and India already existed. Indians went to America before Christopher Columbus, so I refute what people have written that Columbus discovered America,” MP minister told ANI.
He also said that the record of India revealed that the people from here used to go to America for trade in the eighth century.
“Columbus went to America in 1492 but the records of our country show that we started trade with America in the eighth century. They also built temples, which are kept in the museum there. So it would have been good if historians had seen those facts and then taught our children,” said the minister.
He also claimed that an attempt was made by historians to highlight India’s weaknesses rather than focus on the positive aspects of the country.
“Although our nation’s virtues were often neglected in the past, with an emphasis on accentuating shortcomings, we have taken a constructive step forward by reforming our education policy. We will continue to strive for excellence, ensuring that our educational framework presents a comprehensive and balanced portrayal of our country’s rich history, cultural heritage, and values, thereby instilling a sense of pride, unity, and purpose in future generations,” he added.
When asked about whether to amend the said fact in the syllabus in the state, minister Parmar said, “It is being self-proven in history that Vasco da Gama did not discover India; we will remove it. India existed before Vasco da Gama’s country was created, so the question of discovery of India does not arise.”
Notably, it is believed that an Indian from Kenya helped da Gama with the directions to the subcontinent and also informed him about the monsoons.
On May 20th, 1498, da Gama reached Kappad, near Kozhikode, which was then part of the Kingdom of the Zamorin (Samuthiri Raja) of Calicut.
Meanwhile, Christopher Columbus, in 1492, had inadvertently discovered the Americas when what he really wanted was to reach the coast of India! (ANI)
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