History, it is said, is the political battleground of the present. Despite periodic attempts in the past five decades to rewrite history, re-rewrite it and even make it "scientific", popular perceptions of the past remain grounded in a combination of mythology, prejudice and sheer ignorance. Apart from Mahatma Gandhi, there is a surprising degree of ignorance about historical figures including Akbar, Shivaji and Subhas Chandra Bose—the stuff of legends. Fortunately, the unfamiliarity is the least among the youth, a function of the spread of education. For most Indians, there is little ambiguity over who the heroes from the past are. More contentious, however, is the choice of the baddies. Godse gets a clear thumbs down but iconoclasts like Ghazni and Aurangzeb are revered by those among the Muslim community who are aware. Equally, the founder of Pakistan has a fan following this side of the border.

HEROES
Akbar
	Hindus	Muslims
Hero 51	49	62
Villain 10	11	5
Neither 5	5	3
Don't know/Can't say 34	35	30
Subhas Bose
	Hindus	Muslims
Hero 75	75	67
Villain 2	2	3
Neither 3	3	4
Don't know/Can't say 20	20	26
Shivaji
	Hindus	Muslims
Hero 69	70	57
Villain 2	2	2
Neither 2	2	4
Don't know/Can't say 27	26	37

Mahatma Gandhi
		Hindus	Muslims	18-24*	25-44*	45+*
	Hero 85	85	80	85	84	85
	Villain 5	5	3	7	5	4
	Neither 3	2	2	2	3	2
	Don't know/Can't say 7	8	15	6	8	9
	All figures in per cent. *Age-groups
	VILLAINS
	Nathuram Godse
		Hindus	Muslims	18-24*	25-44*	45+*
	Hero 18	19	17	21	19	16
	Villain 38	37	37	41	38	36
	Neither 6	6	5	6	5	6
	Don't know/Can't say 38	38	41	32	38	42
	All figures in per cent. *Age-groups
	M.A. Jinnah
				Hindus		Muslims
	Hero 14			13		31
	Villain 26			27		16
	Neither 4			4		5
	Don't know/Can't say 56			56		48
	Mahmud of Ghazni
				Hindus		Muslims
	Hero 11			9		21
	Villain 23			24		14
	Neither 4			4		6
	Don't know/Can't say 62			63		59
	Aurangzeb
				Hindus		Muslims
	Hero 21			19		39
	Villain 33			34		17
	Neither 5			5		7
	Don't know/Can't say 41			42		37