RSS identified the talents of a Christian like me: Padmashri awardee and historian Prof C I Issac

KOTTAYAM: Padmashri awardee and historian Prof C I Issac said that he has recommended the NCERT to use the word 'classical India' instead of 'ancient India' in textbooks.
Issac is also the chairperson of the focussed group for social sciences for developing a national curriculum framework in line with the National Education Policy 2020. Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said that the British classified Indian history as ancient which is Hindu India, medieval which is Muslim India and modern which is British India."It gave an impression that India became modern only after the Britishers arrived here," he said.
"But India was more modern in the ancient period than when the British were here. When the rest of the world thought that the world was flat, we knew it was round. It was we who invented zero," he said. "We were far more advanced than the rest of the world during the so-called ancient period. In the report that I submitted, I have recommended calling this period as classical period instead of ancient period. I was successful in initiating a discussion on this. There was intellectual freedom during the classical period. Generally there was no intolerance," he added.
Besides this, Isaac also recommended using 'Bharat' instead of India while referring to the country during the pre-Independent period. He also recommended displaying the Preamble of the Constitution in classrooms and on compound walls of schools in vernacular languages of the respective states.
Issac, who retired as the head of the history department of CMS College here, has been a member of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) since 2015.
The three-member ICHR panel, led by Issac, had recommended removing the names of 387 Moplah rebels of Moplah rebellion of 1921, including Variyamkunnath Kunjahammad Haji and Ali Musliyar, from the list of 600-odd freedom fighters attached to the rebellion. Issac alleged that some are deliberately trying to make Variyamkunnath a freedom fighter. He also said that the names of 387 Moplah rebels were based on historical facts and evidence.
On the recent BBC documentary controversy, he said that the documentary was made intentionally to create issues within the country. It was banned in the universities taking into consideration the law and order situation, he added.
On his tenure as professor, he said that he had faced discrimination due to his political stance. He said that his life is proof that RSS is not against any religion. It was the RSS who identified the talents of a Christian like me and stood by me, he added.