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History: Meaning and ImportanceHistory has been defined by different scholars in different ways. If we look at the genesis of the word “history” we will find that it has been derived from the Greek word “Historia”, which means “information”, or an inquiry to find out the truth. Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines it as “an account of past events and developments; a methodical account of origin and progress of a nation, institution, the world, etc”. It is an account of the growth of man from the day when he appeared on the earth. It is a record of what man did or thought. Learning by inquiry about the past of mankind was later developed into a discipline by the Greek historians?Thucydides?and?Heredeotus?(who is popularly known as ’Father of History’).?E. H. Carn?defined history as an "unending dialogue between the present and the past."?Jawaharlal Nehru?observed that man’s growth from barbarism to civilization is supposed to be the theme of history."?Will Durant?called history "a narrative of what civilized men have thought or done in the past time."The term "history" has now come to be applied to accounts of events that are narrated in a chronological order, and deal with the past of mankind.Rabindra Nath Tagore says, “There is only one History - the History of Man”. Jones says, “History is a veritable mine of life experiences and the youth of today studies history that he may profit by the experiences of the race”. Carr says, “History is a continuous process of interaction between the historian and his facts. It is an unending dialogue between the present and the past”. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru says, “History is the story of man’s struggle through the ages against nature and elements; against wild beasts and the jungle and some of his own kind who have tried to keep him down and to exploit him for their own benefit”. Nature and scope of HistoryHistory is one of the oldest subjects of study. By history we understand the breadth, comprehensiveness, variety and extent of learning experiences, provided by the study of a particular subject. The growth of history has accompanied with the growth of human race. Thus history and man are inter-related or that history is a story of human race from beginning up to the present day. History at present is no more confined to the study of political activities of man but it also includes a study of his achievements in the physical, Social, Economic, Religious, Philosophical. Literary, artistic, cultural industrial, technological and scientific fields, starting from ancient times upto the modern age. In this way its scope is very wide and varied – in fact as wide as the world and as long as the existence of man on earths. History links the present of mankind with his past. We cannot say that future is outside the scope of history. Experiences of history will from the history of tomorrow and in this way history is connected with future as well. The most interesting fact about the extent and comprehensiveness of history is that today we hear of “History of Art,” “History of Culture”, “History of Civilization”, “History of Religion”, “History of Music", “History of Geography”, “History of Physics”, “History of Philosophy”, “History of Education ”, “History of Biology”, “History of Atom”, “History of Literature”, “History of Mathematics” and History of what not. A learned speaker on a political, religious, literary or any other platform connected with any field of human activity, will place before his audience pure and simple history, connected with the life and achievements of some past of great human beings and nothing else. This makes the scope of history almost limitless, which knows no ends and also speaks of the importance of history as a teaching subject in schools and colleges. Thus, history has expanded both vertically and horizontally. Its close connection with the allied fields of human sciences, has given new effects to historical studies. It has been cleared that the subject of history has no frontiers and that it is limitless and fathomless ocean, with no ends in view. However for instructional purposes in schools and colleges, we have to limit its scope and frontiers. History is primarily concerned with the evolution of mankind. It traces the whole story of man as well as of his progress in civilization a culture from the dim past up to the present day. It indicates his failures and his successes, describes his laws and his wars, and reveals his religions and his arts. It gives an account of the significant developments that took place in the past with reference to the countries and the men and women who played a noteworthy part.?Thomas Carlyle, a famous historian of the French revolution regards world history as the "biography of great men."The importance of history is in its capacity to help one to draw conclusions from the past events. It may be said that history is to the human race, what memory is to each man. It sheds the light of the past upon the present, thus helping one to understand oneself, by making one acquainted with other peoples. Also, as one studies the rise and fall of empires and civilizations, the lessons of the past help one to avoid the pitfalls of the present.History makes one’s life richer by giving meaning to the books one reads, the cities one visits or the music one hears. It also broadens one’s outlook by presenting to one an admixture of races, a mingling of cultures and a spectacular drama of the making of the modern world out of diverse forces.Another importance of history is that it enables one to grasp one’s relationship with one’s past. For example if one wonders why the U.S. flag has 48 stars or why Great Britain follows monarchy, one has to turn to history for an answer.History is of immense value to social scientists engaged in research. Thus the political scientist doing research on the parliamentary form of government has to draw his materials from the treasure trove of history.It preserves the traditional and cultural values of a nation, and serves as a beacon light, guiding society in confronting various crises. History is indeed, as Allen Nerins puts it, "a bridge connecting the past with the present and pointing the road to the future." ................
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