History has been considered among the most dreaded subjects by students for long, one might recall skipping lectures in school or even struggling to memorise events and dates before exams. However, the subject is so much more than just names and timelines. Given how it impacts our present, it can open up possibilities for individuals to engage with various themes and issues. A number of digital platforms have taken up the challenge to uncover the interesting side of this seemingly mundane subject and present it to people in an engaging manner.
Creating fresh narratives
“When we are taught history, it is seen as a subject with limited prospects. Having context and understanding of history plays an important role in everything—be it personal choices or our political alignment. The subject is about the choices people have made in the past, and the consequences of those choices that have shaped our present. I think that is why it is interesting to look at the patterns in history,” says Medhavi Gandhi from Chandigarh, founder of The Heritage Lab, a digital media platform that connects citizens to cultural heritage.
Started in 2015 out of the love for museums, The Heritage Lab has extended an innovative approach for people to “experiment with cultural heritage”. Their website features a number of games, meme makers, stickers, among other resources that can help people create their own content. The underlying idea is to enable more people to indulge in heritage. The team has recently launched an open-access initiative to help the audience create and engage with history and heritage in a parallel manner.
Experimenting with format
A similar platform that is trying to bridge the gulf between history and potential enthusiasts is Itihasology. Founded by Gurugram-based Eric Chopra, a student of Stephen’s College, the platform seeks to deliver historical content in 350 words or less. The team aims to talk about history in a way that goes beyond just names, places, and dates. “There is a rigid notion associated with how you are supposed to study the past. People abandon history as a subject because they are conditioned to believe that the subject is going to stay that way. So, to find a way to make it more fun, accessible, and engaging, and compress academic information for a lay audience was our primary goal when we started,” shares Chopra.
Along with posting regular content on social media, Itihasology’s team also runs a podcast, a video series, and an academic journal that helps open other avenues for their audience to engage with history. The interesting presentation of content disseminated using images, illustrations, and videos has played an important role in attracting people towards information that once seemed boring.
Dwelling on facts
The use of social media in creating an alternative space for discourses around history is important because such platforms are also where fake news and twisted narratives usually originate. “As history students who study this discipline academically, we were always anxious about social media because that is a platform where all narratives go wrong. So, for us, it was kind of a necessary evil. To fight such narratives, we had to create a platform that could provide research-based facts,” says Eshan Sharma (21) a Delhi University graduate from Kanpur, founder of Karwaan Heritage, a collective by students that seeks to promote academic history.
Sharma created Karwaan Heritage in 2019 as a response to what was being taught in the classroom. “Traditionally, history teaching has always been limited to the classrooms. I believe, to learn history you have to go out.” With this idea, they organised their first heritage walk with historian Sohail Hashmi, but soon moved it online because of the pandemic. Embracing the virtual platform, they have been organising various Facebook and YouTube Live sessions on various topics and posting regular content related to history to make it accessible and understandable.
Backed by the support of academicians and historians, these platforms have made it a point to disseminate factually correct pieces of history in a fun and engaging manner while carving a space for alternative interpretations and nuances.