Authentic history crucial to counter modern narratives, authoritarianism, says Palanivel Thiaga Rajan

Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan stresses the importance of authentic history to combat modern narratives and authoritarianism at a national conference.

Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan emphasised that we were at a critical juncture where studying history was essential to prevent it from being obscured by fabricated narratives and personal versions of the truth. 

Speaking at a national conference on the ‘Culture and Traditions of The Pandya Country: Gleaned from Archaeological Implications’ at Fatima College here, he observed that we were living in a strange era where the foundational structures of republicanism and democratic political culture are deteriorating globally.  

He warned against disruptors who promised to revolutionise governance but ultimately proved to be poor administrators, leaving a trail of institutional destruction in their wake. 

The disruptions are often rooted in authoritarianism, which relies on two core strategies - suppressing independent thought and cultivating uninformed citizenry that is easily manipulated, he noted.  

In this climate, the Minister asserted that a multidimensional study of history is more vital than ever. He cautioned that if society remained unaware of its past and allowed itself to be misled by modern reinventions of truth designed to fit specific agendas, it would face a profound and lasting damage. 

He highlighted that the Tamil Nadu government’s significant funding over the past five years had yielded ground-breaking archaeological discoveries.