(ANTI)SOCIAL STUDIES

Social studies is a combination of two parts of history, one parts of civics and one parts of economics, which prescribed and taken in large doses and allowed to ferment over the gentle fire of average human intelligence, derives the patient’s mind to distraction.
In a sort of trance, I now ponder detachedly upon the basic obtuseness of social studies.Personally, I regard social studies as a threat to sanity. What useful knowledge is gained by the study of this deplorable subject? Why do we have to endure torture in every social studies period to acquire the thoroughly profitless information that there are four Maratha wars, three Carnatic wars and four Mysore wars, not to mention an undefined number of Afghan, Sikh and Burma wars? I shudder at the futility and the puerilities of the entire proceedings.Until
lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters.
In this state of mental coma, a friend of mine was once asked whether he had lost his head. My friend answered that he had lost his head in trying to remember how others like Charles 1 lost theirs. People in the same boat are the best sympathizers. So two of us put our heads together and cursed the inborn curiosity of man to probe into human affairs both past and present. ‘Let bygones be bygones’ should have been the motto of every historian. History may be defined as a chronological survey of the alleged pranks of our naughty ancestors. It has been included in social studies because society has a fine sense of rumor.
But where comes the connection with civics? History is a record of events which shows us how man has misinterpreted and misapplied the principles of civics in his own benefit. Take for example the much misunderstood right to hold and dispose of property. Whose property is meant, whether yours or yours neighbors’ is not clearly defined? Civics is that part of political science which tells us what citizens normally do not do.Oh civics! What crimes are committed in thy name, including the crime of using you as a time-killing weapon? One fails to see how subjects like history are going to help. It is just talking scandal. Poor Henry 7, he did not wish the whole world to know he had six wives-or was it eight? Anyway, if he could manage six he could manage eight. History rightly calls him a great king. If the normal man finds it hard to keep one wife, Henry was certainly six to eight times above the average.Incidentally, whatever it is that the history textbooks would have us believe. An excellent point about history is that you can mix it with plenty of fiction. No one dare oppose you. After all history is always in the making. “History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.”
To come back to the subject of wives. Akbar gets me beat, not that I would like to change places with him, no thanks. But, I mean, even polygamy has it limits.Twelve, twenty or even thirty wives one can understand if not excuse, but three hundred! – to say nothing about the three hundred mother-in-laws. The very thought is paralyzing.Oh well, we all have our hobbies. I expect. I dare say Akbar could afford it. His domestic policy was as extensive as his religious policy. Henry at least took the precaution of eliminating the existing one before he married the next. All this leads to historical hotchpotch.
I quite see the point that history should be read. But surely it need not be memorized and examined upon. “The advantage of studying economics is that if you want to sell cows you know that they will fetch a better price in Bombay than in Hissar.”How many of us have sold, are selling, or even sell cows?
Whenever I look into a mirror I always have an uneasy feeling, until Darwin makes things worse by putting forward his theory .Now Darwin has been dead for a century. I would not have known he existed, but for history. “The main difference for the history of the world if I had been shot rather than Kennedy is that Onassis probably wouldn't have married Mrs. Khrushchev.” Its only that I believe in,“Anybody can make history; only a great man can write it”.