Misrepresentation of Khudiram Bose in a Popular Web Series Raises Questions
Glorifying the Wrong Side of History
One of the most shocking incidents recently witnessed in the popular Zee5 web series Abhay Season 2 was the depiction of Indian revolutionary fighter Khudiram Bose alongside criminals in a police station. Khudiram Bose, who was just 18 years old when he was hanged by the British for his role in the Muzaffarpur conspiracy case, is remembered as one of the youngest martyrs in India’s freedom struggle. Seeing his photo misplaced in such a manner angered many and brought up important questions about inaccurate representations of our historical figures that glorify colonizers over freedom fighters.
Lack of Due Diligence by Creators
What made this mistake unacceptable was that the director himself is a Bengali and the show had other Bengalis involved as well. As a son of the soil, one would expect basic care to correctly identify important freedom fighters from the same state. It raises concerns about the lack of due diligence and importance given to validating historical facts by creators before finalizing the content. With Bengalis involved in key roles, such a big error exposes the superficial understanding of their own state’s history and heritage.
Failure of Education System
However, the creators cannot be solely blamed as our education system has not done justice in teaching students about India’s true history and struggle for independence. If even educated filmmakers end up glorifying the wrong side due to information gaps, it reflects poor representation of India’s freedom movement in syllabus. While entertainment can take creative liberties, distorting facts about national heroes is unacceptable. It is high time we overhaul curriculums to impart pride in our heritage andcorrect misconceptions.
Blatant Disrespect to a Young Martyr
The disrespect shown to Khudiram Bose, who sacrificed his life at such a young age fighting British oppression, is utterly shameful. Hailing from a prominent family of freedom fighters, he played a pivotal role in the Muzaffarpur conspiracy and faced death bravely. To place his portrait alongside criminals is a slap on the face of the martyrdom ensued by revolutionaries like him. No creative work, no matter the medium or scale, has the right to distort history and insult our freedom fighters.
Demand for Sensitivity in Representing History
Incidents like these emphasize the importance of maintaining utmost authenticity and sensitivity while adapting historical events or figures in any creative medium. Even if facts are stretched in the name of storytelling liberty, core facts about nationalist icons must be respected. With the kind of influence entertainment holds, misrepresentation can negatively impact the public perception of such legendary personalities. Creators must exercise due diligence in validating facts to avoid dishonoring our freedom legacy.
Necessity to Preserve Factual Accuracy
While artistic thinking is essential for storytelling, sacrificing factual accuracy should not be acceptable especially concerning sensitive topics like our independence struggle. The dearth of knowledge about our true history displayed by Abhay 2 team is a stinging indictment of the gaps that persist. Media houses must take responsibility to fact-check historical content and educate themselves thoroughly to do justice while adapting such themes. Distorting facts or showing casual disregard for national heroes’ depiction undermine their sacrifice and legacy. Factual accuracy is non-negotiable when it comes to representing our nationalist icons.
Demand for Rectification and Ensuring No Repetition
The disappointment and anger induced by this careless error are understandable. Hence, the creators have a responsibility to acknowledge the mistake, retract the scene publicly and issue an unconditional apology. They should also initiate steps to ensure no repetition of such lapses in future by tightening research and approval processes. As for the education system, urgent reforms are overdue to decolonize curriculums and instill pride in our true history and nation-builders. Unless we protect historical facts, injustice to luminaries like Khudiram Bose will continue.
