E-Paper
Here’s why Savitribai Phule Pune University postponed the Indian History Congress, 15 days prior to the event
SPPU cite lack of funds and accommodation for not holding the event; IHC blames varsity for ‘irresponsible action’
On December 12, the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) carried a brief announcement on its website that said, “The scheduled 79th session of the Indian History Congress (IHC), December 28-30, 2018, at Savitribai Phule Pune University, is postponed until further notice.”
This was barely 15 days before the Congress was to be held on the SPPU campus from December 28 to December 30.This came as a shock to the New Delhi-head quartered Indian History Congress with Professor Mahalakshmi Ramakrishnan, IHC secretary, writing a stinging letter to Nitin Karmalkar, SPPU vice-chancellor, raising serious questions on the manner in which the announcement was made by SPPU.
She also pointed out that more than 1,000 delegates had paid Rs 2,000 each towards participation in the event, besides making rail and flight bookings.
“While issuing the cancellation notice, the Savitribai Phule Pune University has given no thought to the loss this irresponsible action would cause on so many scholars throughout the country,” said in her letter to Karmalkar. Ramakrishan, told Hindustan Times over email: “We had received an email from an anonymous “Team IHC” at 11.48 pm on 11 December 2018, which appeared to be emanating from the office of the Local Secretary in Pune, that due to financial difficulties and lack of arrangements for accommodation of delegates, they have at the last moment taken this unilateral decision.” Repeated efforts by Hindustan Times to contact Karmalkar failed to elicit a response.
Prafulla Pawar, Savitribai Phule Pune University registrar, told Hindustan Times on Thursday that lack of funds and lack of accommodation are the reasons for cancelling the event. He said the university has proposed that the event be held in April end or March first week next year.The explanation by the SPPU authorities has left a number of questions unanswered about the cancellation of this event.
Why was the 79th session of IHC cancelled just 15 days before the event?
As historian S Irfan Habib noted on Twitter: The venue was decided 10 months ago, not a week or a month ago. If lack of funds and lack of accommodation was the reason for cancellation, why did the SPPU not inform the IHC at least a few months in advance?
Why was vice-chancellor incommunicado over the cancellation?
In a letter to Nitin Karmalkar, SPPU vice-chancellor, IHC secretary Mahalakshmi Ramakrishnan pointed out that it was an anonymous letter from ‘IHC team’ put up on the university website announcing that the session will not be hosted on the scheduled dates. “It is strange that the cancellation of our session should have come not from you, who as vice-chancellor had invited the Indian History Congress,” Ramakrishnan pointed out. The IHC has been taken by surprise over the complete silence from the vice-chancellor over the abrupt cancellation of the major event.
Why was IHC not informed about paucity of funds well in advance?
According to Prafulla Pawar, registrar, SPPU , “The 79th session of Indian History Congress to be hosted by Department of History and SPPU jointly was “postponed” due to lack of funds. The entire session which would be for three days was to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, and most of the funds were raised through philanthropy funding which fell through.”
Radhika Seshan, head of department of history, SPPU and also the nominated local secretary for the session said that the department had collected Rs 15 lakh in total from delegate registration of Rs 2,000 per head.
Addressing a brief press conference at the department, she said the “postponement” was due to shortage of funds and also lack of accommodation for 3,000 delegates. According to her, the corporates who had promised them funds suddenly pulled out and promised to release the funds only in January next year. Thus, there was no choice, but to postpone the session to a further date.
Why was IHC not informed about problems with accommodation well in advance?
According to Seshan, the nearly 3,000 delegates were to be hosted at the Balewadi stadium guest houses, which became “suddenly unavailable” due to the major sports event ‘Khelo India’. She said this was “intimated verbally” to the department, causing a sudden crisis with the accommodation.
Is the reason for cancellation political?
The 78th session of the Indian History Congress held at Jadhavpur University, Kolkata in December, 2017, was marred by controversy after a number of prominent speakers such as Mamta Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister; Marxist historian Irfan Habib and KM Shirmali, president for the 78th session, had criticised what they said were attempts by the central government to distort Indian history.
While Banerjee had said that writing history was not the task of politicians and had indirectly blamed the Centre for twisting historical facts to suit the ruling party’s objectives, Shirmali had said that that a section of the people was trying to thrust upon others its own version of history without being competent enough to write about the subject. He had said that the Indian History Congress is committed to the cause of writing secular and scientific history of the country.
Habib had raised questions about growing attempts to distort and rewrite history and had said, “History depends on events and facts and any attempt to invent facts will be treated as fiction.”
