Nagpur: Calling inadequate documentation one of the biggest obstacles to preserving history, State Information Commissioner Rahul Pande on Sunday urged scholars, journalists and researchers to undertake deeper studies of Nagpur, Vidarbha and institutions such as the RSS, saying significant contributions often go unnoticed when they are not properly recorded. Pande was speaking at the release of ‘RSS@100: Shatakveer Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’, a book chronicling the century-long journey of the RSS, at the Press Club of Nagpur. He noted that, during earlier years, themes such as religious conversions, radicalisation and changing social realities frequently figured in the speeches of RSS chiefs, and said the way these issues evolved over time deserves scholarly examination. Calling for greater efforts to preserve historical records, Pande drew parallels with the extensive archival documentation undertaken by the British. “With the resources, institutions and technology available today, there is no reason why we cannot systematically document our own history. History never forgives those who forget history,” he said. Reflecting on his personal association with the organisation, Pande said he grew up in Nagpur’s Mahal area, close to the Sangh headquarters, and witnessed its influence from a young age. Pande observed that despite the RSS leaving its imprint across several sectors of public life over the past century, comprehensive and academically rigorous documentation of its journey remained limited. “There has been extensive writing on the RSS in newspapers and public discourse, but detailed, objective documentation is comparatively scarce. Most writings tend to come from either end of the ideological spectrum. Serious research-based work examining its evolution over decades is necessary,” he said. Quoting former Chief Justice of India Sharad Bobde, Pande added that one of the enduring shortcomings of our historiography was the inadequate documentation of several important regional figures and dynasties. “Even rulers such as Raghuji Raje Bhonsale and the Nagpur Bhonsale dynasty, whose influence extended up to Bengal, Bihar and Puri, have not received the historical attention they deserve,” he said. He added that a similar neglect was visible in the documentation of Vidarbha’s rich cultural and civilisational heritage, despite references to the region dating back to the Rigvedic period.
