When Power Distorts History
By Dr. Santosh Kumar Mohapatra
History has always been a mirror reflecting society’s values, struggles, and triumphs. Ideally, it should honor those who speak for the voiceless and uphold moral courage, even when their stand is unpopular. Yet in recent times, this moral order appears inverted.
Power and influence increasingly determine who is celebrated and who is forgotten.Today, many who align with authority or serve the interests of the powerful find themselves rewarded and honored. Meanwhile, those who fight for truth, justice, and humanity are sidelined.
This troubling reality exposes a collective decline in ethical awareness. The number of people who value sincerity and genuine good work seems to have fallen below half the population.Such a shift poses a serious challenge to any just and democratic society.
When integrity is undervalued, the foundation of truth weakens, and history becomes a tool of manipulation rather than remembrance. The need of the hour is to rekindle moral courage—to nurture spaces for free thought, promote independent voices, and encourage citizens to recognize and honor true merit
.Only by doing so can we prevent history from becoming a servant of power and return it to its rightful role as the guardian of truth and justice
(The author is an eminent Odisha based columnist and economist and social thinker)
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