Who is your favorite historical figure?
From as far back as I can remember. History has been one of my favorite subjects. I was inclined towards science because I was always curious to understand what was happening, but I loved reading history. Indian education offers students an option to graduate through international certification programs like the CAIE, Edexcel, IB, and American syllabus and there are the national level programs, like the ICSE and the CBSE and then there are the state boards. Typically the International boards are the most expensive ones to complete and here expense refers to costs. The national level programs like ICSE focus on languages and application and CBSE highlights the importance of subject-based application and rote learning. Now, the state boards stress the importance of learning the local language, and the level for the sciences and humanities is at the basic level.
I completed my grade 10 on the state board. And when I graduated to grade 11, I selected History as one of my subjects. The pre-university board syllabus for History used to include the history of India starting with a generic study on the metal age and stone age, and then moving on to the various dynasties that ruled in India. When you study history and just read about the dynasties, for instance here is a list of the topics I completed:
Ancient period / Vedic culture / Rise of new religions / Mauryas / Kaushanas / Guptas / Cholas / Vardhanas and early Chalukyas / Rashtrakutas \ Later Chalukyas and Hoysalas / Medieval period / Delhi Sultanate / Mughals \ Rise of Marathas / Vijayanagar empire / Bahamani kingdom / Socio-religious movements in India / Modern period / Advent of Europeans / First War of Indian Independence / Impact of British rule / Socio-religious reform movement / Mysore.
These topics were completed without a perspective on the Economy and sociology of the kingdom during their reigns and were therefore incomplete in understanding the real achievements of the rulers and their kingdoms. When I came to grade 12, I decided to spend my study holidays with a relative to understand the subjects better. He had an interesting perspective that included studying the sociological, economic, and psychological aspects of the principalities during the reigns of these various dynasties. So my answers became a more complete write-up of how a particular law or decree had an impact and how that influenced the life of the common man during that dynasty. Including maps in my answers put the entire answer into visual perspective making it easier and more interesting to understand. It was almost like he animated the entire textbook in my head. It was a tough two weeks. After all, I had to work very hard to rethink how I would attempt an answer and had to work at writing faster because now, my answers were that much longer and more detailed. I completed my study holidays working very hard at improving the forearm muscles in my right hand while I wrote on reams of paper.
The one ruler I admired was Samrat (Emperor) Ashoka the Great. During the reign of Samrat Ashoka, the Mauryan empire covered a large part of present-day Afghanistan in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the East with the capital of his kingdom based in Pataliputra in present-day Patna. The Mauryan Empire was one of the larger empires that ruled over most of ancient India. During the height of his reign, Samrat Ashoka waged a war against the neighboring province of Kalinga. The death and destruction he witnessed during this war affected him to the extent that he gave up his riches and his kingdom as a sign of great remorse. He devoted himself to the practice and propagation of dhamma through inscribing edicts. It is said that he had set up 12 stupas and viharas during his reign at various locations across his empire.
I gave up my career to start a family, but to be honest, although I was not at the peak of my career, giving it up required a change of mindset and lifestyle choices for me. So, I have always found it difficult to understand why such a drastic decision was taken. The war with Kalinga was by no means a small skirmish, but it wasn’t the first one either, it was waged in the 8th year after his ascension, so he had already annexed several regions before he came to Kalinga. For some reason, this war was the straw that broke the camel’s back, convincing him to give up his life of comfort and luxury to live the life of a simpleton.
And by all accounts, this is what he seems to have done. Of course, as with most historical records, there are a lot of contradictory accounts to consider while we learn about the Mauryan Empire. One of the most important facts to keep in mind is that the entire process of his abdicating the throne / giving up the crown could have been a gradual process and not something he gave up overnight as I would like to believe. Even so, this is one aspect of history I have always been fascinated by, and would love to go back in time to study it in detail so I can understand and witness the riches and abundance not just during the Mauryan Empire but also in the ancient kingdoms of the Cholas, Cheras, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, and the Vijayanagar empires. These kingdoms/reigns encouraged travelers and tourism flourished. The travelers made a note of their journeys and experiences and these records added a more personal perspective to life in the Golden Era. Of course, the most important detail that captivated my interest about this ruler was the fact that he was willing to give everything up, his name, fame, riches, and glory – to denounce war and lead a pious life.
Please do note that I learned my history from the texts prescribed for my course which is a reference guide at best.
Just a little more 