The purpose of history is not to construct statements for contemporary political use: Prof. Romila Thapar

Culture By The Hindu • November 5, 2026, 5:48 AM UTC
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The purpose of history is not to construct statements for contemporary political use: Prof. Romila Thapar
Professor Romila Thapar says a Hindutva reading of Indian history cannot be ‘single and fixed’ and argues that historical inquiry must explain the evolution of Indian society rather than construct statements for contemporary political use

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Prof. Romila Thapar speaks during Second Sitaram Yechury Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on October 25, 2026. | Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

I would like to thank the Sitaram Yechury Foundation for the invitation to deliver a memorial lecture. The subject I have chosen to speak on is one on which I had a small conversation with Sitaram some time back, but we did not have the opportunity to discuss it at length. I am now speaking on it in remembrance.

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