NEW DELHI: The 450th birth anniversary celebration of Emperor Akbar, which the Human Resource Development Ministry had planned as a multIi-crore extravaganza and then postponed for a year due to financial stringency, were originally intended to be held on a modest scale with an estimated expenditure of only Rs 4.05 lakh.

The original proposal had come from Prof. Irfan Habib, Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), who suggested three-day seminar of Indian and foreign scholars. As the ICHR could put up only Rs 55,000, he had sought a grant of Rs 3.5 lakh from the proposal was immediately lapped up by HRD Minister Arjun Singh and his journalist turned-political aide MJ. Akbar, who saw in it immense political potential, Arjun Singh, by opposing the BJP, has been assiduously cultivating the minorities and Akbar has backed him on this, So the Ministry promptly hijacked the ICHR proposal, and decided to organize grand celebrations spread over five months.

In his letter to the Minister on November 26,1991, Prof. Habib had drawn his attention to Emperor Akbar’s perception of India as a cultural unit, his tolerance of all religions, rejection of political affiliation to any single religion, and his contribution to the formation of distinctive Indian art Styles.

Prof. Habib wrote: Unfortunately, it is not only in Pakistan that Akbar is ensured; in our country too, to judge from the media and textbooks in actual use, he is treated as no better than a foreign invader. As a historian I feel that giving Akbar his due should be a part of the national endeavor to emphasize our composite non-securian heritage.

 Prof. Habib suggested that the govt. consider celebrating Akbar’s 450th anniversary by organizing an international conference. The ICHR, on its part, proposed to hold an academic terminal and would publish its proceedings.

 The obviously interested Arjun Singh presided over the meeting on April 9, which was attended by, among others, M.J. Akbar, Prof. Jahib, Prof. Rasheed din Kha of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Zameer Ahsid of regular books, Prof. Athar Ali of Aligarh Muslim University, S.P. Joshi of the Indira Gandhi National Center for Arts. Dr.Sharma of the National Museum, Komal Anand and s.Mishra of the Department of Culture and Abhimanyu Singh of the Department of Education.

While others came up with suggestions of an academic nature, Akbar proposed a two-week festival at Fateh pur Sikri, the Emperor’s capital, recreating life at his court, Plays on the life and times of Akbar could be staged and qawwalis sung at Sufi Saint Salim Chisti’s mazhar in Sikri and at Akbar’s tomb in Sikandra.

A festival of music could also be organized at Tanson’s tomb. The Zonal Cultural Center located in Allahabad was tipped to coordinate this program.

However, there was an adverse public reaction as it was felt that while, on the one hand, the HRD Ministry had frozen funds for universities, it was, on the other, willing to spend several crores on entertainment-oriented celebrations in memory of a medieval emperor, The plan also drew flak from both Hindu and Muslim communalists, and the Government was forced to beat a hasty retreat, postponing the celebrations by a year.

Historians are not convinced that financial considerations prompted the postponement, Recently, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations organized an international conference on Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad and Sufism, spending nearly Rs 30 lakh, The anniversaries of Adi Shankaracharya and Sawai Jai Singh have also been celebrated by the Government.

Hence, it is felt that the proposal’s politicization undid it Asked to comment, a tacitum Prof, Habib said, I think there are elements which are afraid that Akbar’s secular legacy should not be understood and appreciated by the people.

The ICHR, nevertheless, is going ahead with its original plan with its seminar scheduled to commence on October 15. It is also bringing out a book on Akbar as described by his contemporaries.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 31, 1992