Romila Thapar: ‘Nehruvian elite not responsible for rise of Hindutva’
Historian Romila Thapar discusses her new memoir, 'Just Being,' and reflects on the role of historians in analyzing the past. She addresses questions regarding the Nehruvian era and the rise of Hindutva in India.
Why it matters
Thapar's perspective provides critical academic insight into the evolution of Indian political identity and historiography.
Romila Thapar, an extraordinary scholar known for shaping our understanding of ancient Indian history, and for instituting critical inquiry at the heart of Indian historiography, has come out with her memoir, Just Being (Seagull Books). It is an expansive tapestry spanning several decades and continents, melding the personal and the ‘world-historical’. In a freewheeling chat on her book at her house in New Delhi, Professor Thapar spoke about the past and the present. Edited excerpts:
The article presents an interview with a scholar, maintaining a neutral framing of her academic views.
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