Secular historian

R.S. Sharma (1920-2011) looked upon the discipline of history as a vehicle for combating obscurantism and evolving a scientific temper.

The passing away of Professor Ram Sharan Sharma on August 20 is an irreparable loss, not only for the world of history scholarship but for all those who envision and hope for a secular, rational and equitable India. There is hardly any aspect of early Indian history that has not been enriched by this renowned Marxist historian's penetrating analysis reinforced by a wealth of data. A prolific writer whose books have been translated into several Indian and foreign languages, he had an insatiable urge for work. When severe illness overtook him in the last few months, his only regret was that life had become meaningless as he was not able to read and write any more, notwithstanding the fact that his latest book, Economic History of Early India, was published by Viva Books this year. However, Sharma was no ivory-tower intellectual. He continued until the end to take an interest in what was going on around him and to encourage and advise historians and academics facing political confrontation to expose the manipulation of archaeological/ historical evidence by the protagonists of Hindutva. A man of unimpeachable integrity, his devotion to secularism and the scientific spirit was part of his being.

Sharma was born on September 1, 1920, in Barauni village of Begusarai, Bihar, to a poor family and received his primary education in the village school. He had to struggle hard to acquire higher education. After matriculation, he managed to join Patna College, where he studied for six years and obtained a master's degree in history in 1943. For a brief period, he worked as a lecturer in H.D. College, Ara, and T.N.B. College, Bhagalpur. He joined Patna College in 1946. He became the Head of the Department of History, Patna University, in 1958, a position he continued to occupy until 1973, when he joined the History Department of the University of Delhi as a Professor. He had been already appointed the first Chairman of the newly constituted Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, a post he occupied from 1972 to 1977. He served Delhi University until his retirement in 1985 and was the departmental head for five years.

Full report here Frontline 

Patrick French on India and Bollywood

He first came to Mumbai in 1996. That was also his first visit to India. He wanted to write about India.

But celebrated British writer and historian Patrick French did not expect the call for ban on his book Liberty or Death — India’s Journey to Independence and Division.

His take on Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s role in the Independence Movement wasn’t taken too kindly. The fear of being looked at as an outsider crossed his mind when he started out, but being married to an Indian woman has given him a different perspective.

“Back then, there was a feeling that people were obliged to be more respectable to the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi and they felt that I was too sympathetic to Jinnah. But today if somebody wrote a book on 26/11 nobody would be bothered in the slightest bit. I think it is to do with what is acceptable at a particular time,” says French.

Full report here DNA

Bhagat Singh was set to become a Gandhian: Historian

Renowned historian Bipin Chandra is set to give a different interpretation to the life of martyr Bhagat Singh. Chandra is writing a biography of the revolutionary hero showing that Singh was on the way to become a Gandhian.

"If Bhagat Singh had lived, he would have become a Marxist Gandhian," Chandra told TNN during his recent visit to Beijing. "He was constantly developing and imbibing new thoughts," Chandra, who is also the chairman of the National Book Trust, said in an exclusive interview.

Chandra's views are significant because Singh was hanged in 1931 for involvement in the killing of a deputy superintendent of police. He had also opposed some of Mahatma Gandhi's views on issues like non-violent struggle and the treatment to be given to the Simon Commission. The new book is expected to cause a review of the popular image of Bhagat Singh as a freedom fighter who believed in violence as the most important means of gaining independence.

Full report here Times of India

A window into a remarkable mind

The Kosambi whom historians know well is D.D., the brilliant iconoclastic scholar who brought about a fundamental change in the writing of ancient Indian history and who, ironically, himself acquired an iconic status in Marxist historiography. But this book is about another, less-known Kosambi, D.D.’s father, Dharmanand (1876-1947). And the editor-translator is yet another Kosambi — Meera, eminent sociologist, daughter of D.D. and granddaughter of Dharmanand. Given the fact that Dharmanand was a grandfather whom she did not know, the book no doubt represents an important personal journey for her. For the reader, what lends it importance and interest is the remarkable life of its protagonist, and his amazing life-journey, which took him from a small Goan village to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Russia, the United States of America and back. Not a bad record for a man who was afraid to travel!

Dharmanand is known as a Buddhist scholar in Maharashtra but is scarcely known elsewhere. This is because, although fluent in English, he chose to write in Marathi. This book introduces the man and his ideas to a wider audience and offers the first English translation of some of his writings. These include his autobiography, Nivedan, and his essays on Ashoka, Buddhism, non-violence, socialism, and the Indian working class. There is also a play (was it ever performed?) titled Bodhisattva, where Dharmanand wove satyagraha, women’s emancipation and his own vision of an ideal conjugal relationship into the story of the life of the Buddha-to-be.

Full report here Telegraph

Back in time

It took Sikh historian Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer 12 years, including umpteen visits to the National Archives of India in New Delhi and the India Office Records housed in the British Library, London to put together his biggest project ever. Dilgeer, who is often regarded as an institution in Sikh history and credited with over 50 titles in Sikh studies, is the former director of Sikh History Research Board with Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and is currently working on a ten-volume book project on Sikh history.

The first two volumes were released on Tuesday at a well-attended function held in the city. “I have previously published Sikh History in Punjabi in five volumes. The English volumes have more documentation and pictorials like coloured photographs, maps and copies of original documents,” says Dr Dilgeer, currently the international director of Guru Nanak Institute of Sikh Studies and president, World Sikh Writers Conference. While the first volume covers the Guru period up to 1708, it also presents a survey of the previous 3,000 years of ancient Punjab and its political, geographical and religious scenario. “It was quite a task researching not just existing work by historians but as many as 10 billion files housed in The British Library’s Commonwealth Records section,” says the writer who researched around 2,000 books. “I have rejected mysticism as a factor associated with the Gurus and given a logical perceptive,” he explains.

Full report here Indian Express

Noted historian Sreedhara Menon dies

Noted historian and former head of the History Department of Kerala University, A. Sreedhara Menon, died in Thiruvananthapuramon on July 23, Friday. He was 84.

Prof.Menon had been ailing for quite some time. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

An acclaimed teacher and an authority in political history of the State, Prof. Menon was known for his simple style of writing. His books helped even the uninitated to gain a fair knowledge of history. He had served as a teacher for nearly five decades and authored about 25 books.

He did extensive research and studies on modern Kerala and A survey on Kerala History is one his noted works. Triumph and tragedy in Travancore and a series on the freedom movement in the State are also his widely discussed works.

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Writers welcome SC judgment on Shivaji book

Friday’s Supreme Court judgment lifting the ban on James Laine’s controversial book Shivaji - Hindu King in Islamic India has received mixed reactions. While most have welcomed the lifting of the ban, some feel that the author should have shown restraint in publishing controversial material that was not backed by documentary evidence.

Sharada Dwivedi, a Mumbai-based historian and researcher, said she was delighted that the ban on the book had been lifted. "Shivaji was undoubtedly a great man who was highly revered, but we live in a democracy and people should have the freedom of speech," she said. Dwivedi referred to the despicable attack on Pune’s Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in 2004 by a politically motivated group, the Sambhaji Brigade, who vandalised the premises merely because the author had conducted his research for the book there. "It was unforgivable," she said. "They were protecting the reputation of someone who has been gone for centuries, but in the process destroyed something that could have been a treasure trove for future generations."

Writer Chetan Bhagat said he was against the very of idea books being banned. "To ban or not to ban a book becomes a very subjective choice. If a book has hurt sentiments or is offensive, people can condemn it, ignore it or ask for an apology, but banning a book shows high-handedness. We should not turn into a society that doesn’t allow voices of dissent," said Bhagat, adding, "If the book hurt sentiments, the author should apologise. Like in the case of a recently published article in Time magazine by Joel Stein that offended Indian sensibilities. Ultimately, they published an apology."

Full report here Times of India

Manipur writer to be IIAS fellow

The Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), has offered the prestigious National Fellow to professor Gangmumei Kamei for a period of two years.

Prof. Gangmumei Kamei is a well known historian and writer. He is a retired professor of History, Manipur University.

During the course of his stay at IIAS, Shimla, Kamei will be working on any topic of his choice, which is likely to be on History of Modern History and History of the Nagas.

Full report here Kanglaonline 

Historian donates books to KCHR

Noted historian K. Sivasankaran Nair has donated his collection of books to the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR).

The books he has given away to the Council deal with Kerala history and they include, in addition to basic books, some rare works which are not available anywhere else. These books will be made available for reference at the KCHR library from May.

His main works include Venadinte Parinamam, Marthanda Varma Muthal Monroe Vare, Vanijyathiloode Parathanthryam, Kashmirinte Katha, Keralam Oru Granthakarante Drishtiyil, Ananthapuri Noottandukaliloode, Pracheena Keralathinte Rashtriya Charithram, Pracheena Keralam and Early History of Kerala.

Full report here Express Buzz