The Enigma of Begum Samru: Differing approaches to her Life

Few Indian historians today believe in the 'great man' view of history—which maintains that history is the outcome of the actions of great men (and occasionally women) who, through sheer force of will, are able to shape and bend events to a foreseen and desired end. Whether they are neo-Marxist, subal tern, nationalist or cultural, historians hold that men and events are shaped by the interplay of larger, more impersonal forces like economics, technology and other complex social structures which it is the task of the historian to identify, uncover and explain. Not that this latter view denies the individual a role in the shaping of history; indeed, the abiding interest in biography, and the fre quency with which historians produce new biographies of such great figures like Gandhi, testify to their view that impersonal forces and structures, however inexorable, can to an extent be altered or troped by human agency. The best of these biographies illuminate a fruitful interaction between the individual and the larger forces which affect and are simultaneously affected by him or her. This is all to the good, but there is a forfeit attached. The modern approach to history cannot easily accommodate and tends to ignore—a small handful of men and women who, though made possible by the circumstances of their age, achieved a life altogether more interesting than the history which made such a life possible. They are not 'great' in the sense that they do not shape events; but they are ingenious and creative, and so adapt themselves to events. Though creatures of history we all are, people such as these appear as if standing against history-—-with history for a backdrop. Through their ingenuity they are able to exploit the possibilities that history offers to create new lifestyles and lead lives which are different from those of their contem poraries.