History is not a chronology of events, nor is it mythology or propaganda. But, these tales make for a good bedtime story. They are not informative, valid or reliable knowledge. These bedtime stories - labelled as history - have only promoted individuals who keep fabricating their own mistaken idea of history

There is almost a fetishized emphasis in every social stream to stress the indispensability of history.

But where is Nepali history? A boastful and egocentric history, rather than one of empirical study, has given birth to a new generation of Nepalis who are drenched in solipsistic nationalism. The resurgence of this irrational and confused nationalism has its roots in a lost and muzzled history. The result: a stemmed irrational jingoism.

There is a distinction between Nepali-history and Nepalese history - a demarcation our historians have neglected. From childhood, Nepalese history, focussed on kings and queens and their daily shenanigans, acts of valour in war and mythological glorification, has been our version of history. This history is lustful and elucidating but not really pragmatic and illuminating.

We are taught about the Gopal dynasty - and truthfully, it's only an extensive explanation of the phrase "cow-dwellers". Our history of the Shahs and Ranas is the mere glorification of court-shenanigans and war barbarity. Or the beautiful mythological 'history' of the cow and the jyotir linga, Manjushree's hill-slicing blade or curd offering Yogi does not really provide anything besides evidence of the prevalent superstitions in our society.

This mythological and actor-event centric history is dedicated to powerful actors and fateful events only.

History is not a chronology of events, nor is it mythology or propaganda.

But, these tales make for a good bedtime story. They are not informative, valid or reliable knowledge.

These bedtime stories - labelled as history - have only promoted individuals keep fabricating their own mistaken idea of history.

There are two versions of Nepali history: Assumptive history and empirical history.

And the state has unapologetically emphasised on assumptive history, which, as the name suggests, is based on assumptions, speculations and inference - used as a method of propaganda. Our text-books are filled with assumptive history. Mystical and glorifying, it does not help in any way to understand the historical evolution of Nepalese society.

And this historical sociology is what we lack. For generations, assumptive history has indoctrinated dogmas into the Nepali minds that has solidified the grasp of some regimes.

When heritage expert Sanjay Adhikari gave me the voluminous archival work of Dhana Bajracharya while starting my undergrad studies, I was stunned.

Not only was I impressed by his work on the iconography of the Malla and Lichhavi stone-inscriptions, I was shocked that all these years I had never heard his name.

Similarly, multiple historians have drowned themselves in archives and produced empirical history but are neglected and ignored.

Moreover, what further repulsed me was when Adhikari told me how during Bajracharya's later life - while suffering from an illness - the government did not help him. The state of historians like Bajracharya, whose contribution to Nepali history has been influential, suggests how much the Nepali state has dismissed such empirical research-oriented historians.

However, in the midst of this lacuna in Nepali history, a generation of students are being brought up, inebriated with tales of valour and mystics, resulting in a trend of jingoism that's taking dangerous forms.

History should provide answers: answers to where we are; where we come from; how we came here; and why we did so. However, a cluttered history has given us cluttered answers.

Where we are: in regress or progress; where we come from: from civilisation or barbarity; how we are here: from evolution or revolution; why we did so: internally or externally - but we are not taught history reliable or valid enough to make an analysis.

And under the influence of assumptive history, we make assumptions, speculations and inferences. Mythologies and tales of valour have forged a utopian view about our past - ungrounded and unrestricted.

Individuals living in this predicament are prone to conspiracy theories and turn out to be jingoistic: a blind eye to facts and deaf ears to reason.

The global conservative trend is already showing its impact in Nepal. Without understanding the complex history of Nepal and the sociological evolution of our society, students will derail themselves and fall into this jingoistic trap. Nepal's history is not simple enough to be only understood by some snap information about the glory of some wars and tales of valour.

A history dedicated to actors and events has a hidden story of the lost subaltern.

For every tale of valour, there will be stories of innocent victims. And for every mythology, there will be stories that are neglected. The big majestic palaces erected through levies will have another narrative of levied poor unfortunates.

In conclusion, our history has betrayed us. Rather than being critically reflective of ourselves, it has made us egocentric and narcissistic. This ego-centrism and narcissism have fueled fervorous jingoism in us. A lack of proper understanding of history has led individuals to manufacture a romantic ideological version of history that just intensifies their prejudices and bigotry.

The fruits of assumptive history might have solidified the nationalistic campaign for cohesion and solidarity, but slowly the shape it is taking is shaking the very coherence and connection that it ought to promote. If nothing is done and we don't change our approach to history, this jingoism will continue to rise.

The only way to counter this jingoism fad is to orient ourselves from assumptive history to empirical history.

The way to shatter the manacles of prejudice and bigotry is with facts and objectivity.

Only then can the lacuna in our history be truly filled.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 10, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.