Lucknow: Indian history books need to be decolonised and the education system must do more to connect students with life lessons, author Amish Tripathi said on Wednesday.Tripathi questioned several commonly taught narratives in Indian history, arguing that they often present historical developments through a colonial lens. He was in conversation with Sheeba Rakesh at a book discussion held at Universal Book Sellers, Gomtinagar.“Vasco da Gama discovered India, first multinational company was East India Company and Pythagoras theorem was promulgated by Greek philosopher Pythagoras. Such narratives need to be examined more critically. Vasco da Gama found the sea route to India, not India. The first multinational company in the world was a Kannada company and the Pythagoras theorem was already known to Vedic priest Baudhayana,” he said.Tripathi highlighted the traditional Gurukul system, saying it focused on lessons that extended beyond academics.“Gurukul system in India used to give life lessons. Our education system teaches students nothing about life,” he said.He also raised concerns about social media consumption among students and the influence of social media algorithms on young minds.“I have seen young students finishing a set of three books in a week. Either the young generation gives you nothing or gives you everything. We need to write books which are educational and fun at the same time, so that students turn to books again. The algorithm on social media is evil. Parents should give students books instead of their mobile phones to keep them busy,” he said.
