We spoke to historian Romila Thapar in an attempt to uncover the historical background of dissent and debate in India, and how today, this tradition is aggressively being erased. The space for dialogue and discussion is shrinking in an ideological environment that increasingly shuns the practice of fundamental rationality. Watch it here:
Romila Thapar
Romila Thapar: “The protests by JNU students and teachers…
Eminent historian Romila Thapar has been associated with JNU since its earliest years. She talks to writer Githa Hariharan about JNU’s vision for educating the young to be questioning citizens. She also traces the pattern of recent attacks against voices of dissent on Indian campuses. Her advice to students and teachers is that they should continue to raise questions, both in and outside the classroom.
Watch another interview with Romila Thapar on the unrest in JNU here.
“Why can’t an academic deliver a lecture on secularism…
At Pratirodh, the Writers’ Convention organised on 1 November 2015, Romila Thapar began with an anecdotal account of her recent lecture on secularism in Mumbai, a lecture for which she was advised to take police protection. She asks, “After sixty eight years of independence, is it not possible for an academic to give an academic lecture on the subject of secularism without needing police protection? She describes her own take on government awards, and responds to the accusation of “selective outrage” with a history of protests by writers over a period of time on a range of issues. She also criticises the nature of television debates.