Prof. Saiyid Nurul Hasan (standing on the left) and Prof. Satish Chandra (far right) attending the inauguration of Kakatiya University at Warangal on November 27, 1976. Image source: The Hindu

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Most of the time, the words written in textbooks reflect the prevailing political scenario of a country. It is the youth that needs to be influenced first, for it is only they who will take the nation forward, in the direction which is convenient for the leaders who wield the power. If you ever zoom in on our country India, you will also witness that whenever a new leader sits on the seat, whether he sways right or left, the words sway with them.

So came the hour of Indira Gandhi, where she found herself to be threatened by the elder congress leaders who couldn’t understand her stance. She chose to attract the masses instead, in hope that they will lead her to a path of success. By advocating for the poor and revamping herself into a socialist leader, Gandhi led campaigns to nationalize and turn various sectors to tilt towards the left. While doing so, she also garnered support from the Communists for some time. In such a tumultuous era where things were drastically changing, as you may have already guessed, Indian education was one of the first sectors which was majorly hit.

The credit for these developments goes to none other than Saiyid Nurul Hasan, who was a noted historian, educationist and an able parliamentarian who unfortunately died today in 1993 while being the governor of West Bengal at that time. 

> Being the Union Education Minister in 1971,  Hasan brought in education reforms which have withstood the test of time till today. Born into a family of taluqdars in Lucknow, Marxism already flowed in his veins since his maternal uncle was an eminent Marxist thinker. After completing his schooling, he went on to study MA and D.Phil. in Indian History in Oxford, leading him to pursue his academic career as a lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

In his tenure as the Union Minister, being openly left, Hasan was behind the improvement of the career advancement scheme in various leftist colleges. Ever wondered why there are only 10 standards and an additional two in our senior years? Well, the biggest contribution of his which everyone is familiar with, is the breakup of our education system in the form of 10+2+3 years. This format was widely favoured till the recent changes in 2020.  He was deeply concerned about the status of the education of women as well and played a major role in tabling a report based on the same.

> Not merely an educationist, Hasan proved to be a huge impact on the students in his college as well (Aligarh Muslim University), with one of them being the well known socialist academician-Prof. Satish Chandra. By questioning the British stance on the economy of the Mughal empire, they both went on to publish a variety of critically acclaimed works, with one example being- *Religion, State, and Society in Medieval India: Collected Works of S. Nurul Hasan,* *edited by Satish Chandra.*

To combat the imperialist views on Indian history, history textbooks were rewritten to suit Indian standards. Most of us Indians have gone through the joys and horrors of studying the NCERT books, and to your surprise, it was Prof. Satish Chandra who penned down our *Medieval India* textbook.

Even though Saiyid Nurul Hasan is no longer with us, his contributions still glisten in the corridors of every Indian educational institute. The Nurul Hasan Education Foundation and The Nurul Hasan Chair Professorship of the Department of History of the University of Calcutta is named after him.

One of the architects behind the revision of Indian history, Saiyid Nurul Hasan was a leftist historian and educationist who laid down the frameworks of the Indian education system which still prevail today.

Rewriting History

Contemporary

Death

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