History for dummies

For a few good laughs, read this
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2144422.cms
A few gems include
- In fact, according to N R Farooqi(heh!), professor of History at Allahabad University, the Mughals probably borrowed purdah from the Rajputs.

- Farooqi says Mughal women were introduced to the purdah only after Akbar married a Rajput princess, who may have brought this custom along with her.

Ohh yeah, sure, Mr Farooqi, the custom then spread all over the islamic world from the mughals.. So ultimately, islam is a religion of peace, gives equal rights to women, etc but it was made radical by Hindus. Nice spin by the so called "eminent historians". I wonder about the quality of history education in India, when someone cannot make out the difference between a ghoonghat and a long black veiled female ninja dress !!

Wait, there is more
- Many other popular perceptions are often mistaken for historical fact, such as Islam being brought to India by Muslim invaders. Most historians concur that India’s introduction to Islam was, in fact, through Arab traders.

Ohh well, they were rather peaceful guys, werent they? And it spread like wildfire from Kerala to Punjab, Sindh, UP and Kashmir. We unwashed Hindus are always wrong, arent we?

- Myths, however, become intertwined with history, often overshadowing it. That’s why the fictional Salim-Anarkali romance is more popular than the real Jahangir-Noorjahan love story.

Again, giving an example of a myth like Anarkali, to spread more myths. BTW, I thought jahangir noorjahan wasnt a love story, it was a kidnap story. A mughal king who took the wife of a conquered 2-paise-ka-sultan as his wife.

Pratibha Patil might be another yesman (yeswoman?) of La Madame, she may be a typical corrupt Congressi politician, but she is atleast right when she says that the ghoonghat was introduced because of the muslim hordes. The fact that Pratibha Patil is stating it does not mean that the fact regarding ghoonghat is wrong. A wrong person is saying the right thing here. Logically, if we think about it, why is the ghoonghat more common in Rajasthan, particularly amongst Rajputs, as compared to other parts of India?

BTW, why is Shivsena supporting Pratibha Patil? Is her being a daughter-of-the-soil more important than national interests? Shivsena is a lot more parochial and regionalistic, much like the Dravidians. They have something against non-Maharashtrians, even though the non-Maharashtrians may be Hindus. By putting up Puppeta Patil, Congress has attained two goals. First they get more votes in the presidential polls, plus a split in the rival alliance.