Perspective

Dhruvin Kaneria | Our knowledge of history is confined to what our textbooks say. But I would never really trust any history textbook because of a quote I heard in my early days “history is written by victors”. We are made to believe in certain things we never have witnessed. We are made to think in a way what writers want us to. Our nature of accepting things unquestionably
makes us vulnerable. Nazification of Germany; spreading of Jehad, terrorism, jingoism are examples

where human’s inability to think from different perspectives is taken advantage of by others. It’s no longer considering two sides of coin but visualizing multiple aspects of a many faced polygon.


Here’s an example of a completely different perspective of Mahabharata. 


(Mahabharata is India’s and in fact one of the world’s greatest epics. It is a glorious saga of victory of good over evil, of truth over wrong. It is not only cultural heritage of ancient India, but also a spiritual, philosophical reflection of attitudes of the people of that era.)

Our books tell us that Pandavas were righteous & Kavravas immoral. But how moral is to risk one’s brothers and wife in a game of dice? How righteous is to discriminate talents of an individual based on his caste? How virtuous is to share one’s sister in law? Pandavas were equally unethical and even more in the great war. But, our books say that Pandavas were epitome of righteousness and so we accept it. There might even be a possibility that Pandavas (victors) had made it sure that Duryodhan is portrayed evil in history. It might also be possible that Brahmins, fearing their dominance in social hierarchy, manipulated Duryodhan’s character because he made sut putra Karna (who belonged to a lower cast) his friend.


Actually speaking, these great epics weren’t written to prove who is right, who is wrong, but to guide us in life by making right choices. We need to pick up the good things of each individual and mold it into our character. My point is not to justify Kavravas actions, but to present a completely different perspective. We should not merely rely on what we are told, but on our discretion and more importantly, on the best perspective.


Indian T.V. serial audience is facing another perspective dilemma in the face of serials ‘Jodha Akbar’ and ‘Maharana Pratap’. Akbar (1542-1605) and Maharana Pratap (1540-1597) are among the greatest kings of medieval India and were chief enemies of each other. In the serial ‘Jodha Akbar’ Akbar is portrayed as virtuous, just and kind king while Pratap as a stubborn Rajput and a villain. On the other hand, in ‘Maharana Pratap’, Pratap is portrayed as greatest patriot who protected his motherland from Mughal onslaughts while Akbar as a lusty, cruel man. The audience is in a real fix. But again, it’s all about perspective. Akbar certainly was better than other Muslim invaders, while Pratap dedicated entire life to service of motherland and protect Hindus from Muslim persecution. So, we should use our judgement rather following the views of serials blindly.


Perspective governs lot of things in our lives. I am fortunate enough to look at things the way I am today. But many of us do not want to emerge out of our stands and thus they perceive things from a narrow point of view. Today, it is narrow views and lack of judgement that lead to many conflicts. It is perspective, which brings maturity to the society, which is, the first step to Utopia.

Article submitted by Dhruvin Kaneria.