French and English are both white races, both Christian (French predominantly catholic – British majority protestant), both close neighbour, separated by a narrow sea lane, but when England invaded France in the 14th century, France fought a 100 years war with the British and it needed Joan of Arc, who was burnt by the British on 30 May 1431, for the English to be booted out a few years later.

Today, Joan of Arc is still a heroine in France, a saint even, and French History books bluntly label the English as invaders and foreigners.

Not so for #MaharanaPratap, who rightly viewed the Moghols also as foreigners and invaders and fought – and beat back – Akbar’s army during the battle of Hadilghati on 18 June 1576.

Today, even after 3 mandates of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Govt, Maharana Pratap gets only a few lines in your history books, while the Moghols occupy entire volumes and Akbar, is treated as a near saint….

We in the Shivaji Maharaj Museum of Indian History, Pune, set the record straight and we are probably the only ones.

I have built this Museum from scratch, without Govt help, with a lot of opposition and hurdles and am still going on, in spite of the #COVID19 (5 exhibitions in the making and a new air conditioned building that will be the 19th).

Support us by sending me a mail at fgautier@rediffmail.com

NAMSTE

FRANCOIS GAUTIER