Amit Shah Urges Asiatic Society to Decolonise Knowledge, Reclaim India's Narrative

Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared on Sunday that 'true knowledge is never held hostage by an ideology,' urging the Asiatic Society of Mumbai to spearhead the decolonisation of India's vast intellectual heritage. Speaking at the inauguration of the 'Ganesh Gyanarthi Exhibition,' Shah called for the institution's immense collections to be liberated from colonial interpretations and used for national and global welfare, emphasizing the need to present India's historical truth authentically from an Indian perspective. Shah's statements come amid ongoing debates surrounding historical revisionism and accusations of ideological influence in cultural institutions. He challenged the colonial perspective that, he argued, created an inferiority complex among Indians and diminished their self-confidence, asserting that India's knowledge was often written in a foreign voice, not its own. This push for decolonisation is significant, especially with the Asiatic Society's newly appointed committee, reportedly aligned with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), now tasked with reshaping its vision. Looking ahead, the Home Minister laid out a clear roadmap: digitising the Society's priceless manuscripts, creating a national common platform linking all heritage-preserving libraries, and integrating these efforts with the 'Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Mission'. This ambitious plan aims to make India's intellectual heritage accessible worldwide, freeing knowledge from past constraints and empowering future generations with a re-evaluated understanding of their history and culture.