A lesson in history

 Last month, we visited Delhi—or rather, New Delhi, to be precise. We were there for a family function, but since we had some free time, we decided to take the kids to see a few of the city’s historic monuments.

After the usual post-function laziness, we finally managed to convince ourselves to visit Qutub Minar. As we walked around, we started telling the kids about the Mughal invasion of India, who built Qutub Minar, and the historical context behind it.

I thought I was explaining everything from a fairly neutral perspective. But then my daughter asked a question that caught me completely off guard.

“If the Mughals invaded our country and must have fought Indian rulers to establish the Mughal dynasty, why are we visiting Qutub Minar? Isn’t it like celebrating them?”

For a moment, I had no answer.

After gathering my thoughts, I told her that visiting Qutub Minar wasn’t about celebrating the people who built it; it was about understanding and revisiting history. It’s a monument that reminds us of a particular chapter in India’s past—one that shaped the country, whether for better or worse.

She wasn’t convinced. Sometimes, the kids simply remind us that history is meant to be explored, questioned, and understood—not accepted unthinkingly.