Historian Warns Against Fragmented Teaching of India’s Past at Kerala Literature Festival
Kerala | January 2026 — Eminent historian Romila Thapar has strongly criticised the removal of entire historical periods from school textbooks, calling such actions “nonsense” and warning that history cannot be taught in isolated fragments. Speaking at the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) 2026, Thapar emphasised that history is a continuous process shaped by evolving societies, cultures, and ideas.
Addressing the virtual audience during the session “Women Writing History: Three Generations”, the 94-year-old scholar said selectively deleting dynasties like the Mughals from academic curricula undermines the very foundation of historical understanding.
History Is an Unbroken Chain, Says Thapar
Romila Thapar stressed that history represents the long journey of people and civilizations, not a collection of disconnected episodes.
“History is a continuous process. It is an evolution of people and cultures, of ways of behaviour and thinking. That continuity cannot be broken by arbitrarily removing dynasties or periods,” she said.
She added that eliminating entire chapters or eras distorts students’ understanding of how societies develop and interact over time.
“Throwing out the Mughals or any other dynasty breaks history into fragments. It makes no intellectual sense,” Thapar asserted.
NCERT Textbook Revisions Spark Debate
Her remarks come amid reports that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has revised the Class 7 Social Science textbook for the 2025–26 academic year, removing chapters on the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.
The revised syllabus reportedly places greater emphasis on ancient Indian dynasties such as the Mauryas, Shungas, and Satavahanas, along with India’s cultural traditions and sacred sites across religions.
While the changes have been defended by some as curriculum rationalisation, critics argue that removing medieval history risks creating an incomplete and selective narrative of India’s past.
Warning Against “Popular History” on Social Media
Thapar also expressed concern over the growing influence of popular history on social media, cautioning that it often blurs the line between scholarly research and personal opinion.
She urged students and readers to rely on professional historians for accurate interpretations of historical events.
“There is now a clear difference between popular history and professional historical writing. When quoting history, people must be aware of the source and its credibility,” she explained.
According to Thapar, unchecked misinformation online can oversimplify complex historical processes and fuel ideological interpretations.
Feminist History and Intellectual Autonomy
Reflecting on her own academic journey, Thapar acknowledged that while she did not always consciously write history from a feminist lens, she consistently incorporated feminist insights wherever relevant.
More importantly, she highlighted the need for women to assert intellectual independence and autonomy in professional spaces.
“Writing feminist history is important, but equally important is behaving like a feminist — standing for independence, critical thinking, and intellectual freedom,” she said.
She described an autonomous woman as an essential pillar of any progressive society.
Kerala Literature Festival Draws Global Voices
The four-day Kerala Literature Festival 2026, now in its ninth edition, features over 400 speakers from across the world. The event includes Nobel laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah and Abhijit Banerjee, astronaut Sunita Williams, authors Kiran Desai and Pico Iyer, sports icons Rohan Bopanna and Ben Johnson, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.
The festival concludes on Sunday, continuing its tradition as one of South Asia’s most influential literary and intellectual gatherings.
Why Romila Thapar’s Remarks Matter
Thapar’s intervention has once again brought the spotlight on the politics of education, the responsibility of historians, and the need for balanced, evidence-based teaching of history. Her comments resonate at a time when curriculum changes are increasingly debated in public discourse.
By calling for continuity rather than selective erasure, Thapar reaffirmed the principle that understanding the past in its entirety is essential for shaping an informed and democratic future.