New Delhi, July 26 -- "To use the past to justify the present is bad enough-but it's just as bad to use the present to justify the past." - Amitav Ghosh

LiveMint's quote of the day by Padma Shri novelist Amitav Ghosh is a warning about the danger of manipulating history to fit a convenient narrative. It breaks down the two most common ways people, and particularly empires, governments, or conquerors, twist time to excuse bad behaviour.

"To use the past to justify the present is bad enough...": This refers to the act of digging up historical events, old grievances, or "traditions" to excuse actions happening right now.

It is often used to justify modern conflicts ("We are attacking them today because their ancestors conquered our land 5...