Towards a Post-Truth History: Debates over Variyankunnan and Reconstruction of History

Abstract

The notion of post-truth has turned out a vital sociological and political concept in the twenty-first century. In the post-truth world, believability overpowers truth and there prevails half-truths, insensible claims or outright lies. The discourse of history also gets problematised in such a political context. The current socio-political condition of India demands scholarly investigation regarding whether there does exist an ideologically motivated project of re-writing history. Taking cases of heated debates over a historical figure, Variyankunnath Kunjahammed Haji, who was shot dead by the British army in 1922, into consideration this paper tries to examine how history is being re-narrated in the post-truth scenario. Variyan Kunnath Kunjahammed Haji is regarded as one of the major leaders of Malabar Rebellion, 1921 and he is counted as one of the freedom fighters in India. However, Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) recommended the removal of 380 martyrs of Mappila Rebellion of 1921 including Variyankunnath Kunjahammed Haji from the fifth volume of the Dictionary of Martyrs of India’s Freedom Struggle in the centenary year of the rebellion. This decision resulted in a widespread ruckus. The announcement of a film based on Variyankunnath Kunjahammed Haji and the release of his rare photo also led to heated debates. The politically motivated arguments and debates over Variyankunnath Kunjahammed Haji could be analysed in accordance with re-narration of history and post-truth history. This paper tries to look at how the re-narration of history does affect cultural memory and whether the nation is moving towards a post-truth history.