3 min readMar 13, 2026 06:28 AM IST
First published on: Mar 13, 2026 at 06:28 AM IST
By Mahalakshmi Ramakrishnan
K N Panikkar was among the stalwart historians who contributed to the reputation of the Centre for Historical Studies, JNU. Beginning his career at the University of Delhi, Panikkar was invited to join the CHS in 1972 by the pioneers who were giving shape to a new and confident department. S Gopal, Romila Thapar and Bipan Chandra all found in the young Panikkar a dedicated and motivated teacher and researcher.
Panikkar initiated a new field of history, a socio-cultural history of modern India, which gradually took off, like many new areas the Centre initiated. His course on the intellectual history of modern India gave a new orientation to social and cultural history, till then not taught in most universities. His presidential address at the Indian History Congress in 1975 on India’s social reform movement in the 19th century was a reflection of his contribution to this field.
A Marxist, he engaged with questions perceived as outside the mainstream of established historiography, as seen in his important work Culture and Consciousness in Modern India: A Historical Perspective. His interest in political and intellectual history resulted in several landmark publications, including Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprisings in Malabar, 1836-1921, Communalism in India: A Perspective for Intervention, and Culture, Ideology, Hegemony: Intellectuals and Social Consciousness in Colonial India.
At a time when everyone in the south of the Vindhyas was considered “Madrasi,” pioneers at the CHS made it a point to move away from the North India-centric gaze. R Champakalakshmi, who specialised in premodern Tamil Nadu, and Panikkar, whose specialisation was modern and contemporary Indian history, stood tall among the galaxy of historians. However, the fact that they were from South India certainly had a bearing on the kinds of courses and research fostered in the centre. Delhi/North India, even until the early 1990s, was an alien land for many of us from the south, and the presence of these scholars made a difference. In my case, I moved to JNU from Hyderabad to work with Champakalakshmi, whose writings had inspired my research. If it weren’t for the likes of her and Panikkar, people like me would have run back to our safe havens without completing our degrees.
After his retirement, Panikkar returned home and was received with open arms in Kerala. More than a decade ago, I met him at the Indian History Congress and the Kerala History Congress. It was heartening to see his defence of professional history in the face of attacks on the discipline from an anti-history and ideologically motivated position.
Panikkar embodied the intellectualism of Independent India that was courageous and never compromised on academic integrity. I joined the faculty just after he retired and proudly inherited his and Champakalakshmi’s mantle, even though it sat somewhat awkwardly on my shoulders. Panikkar’s loss will be keenly felt, especially when the discipline is under attack and the communalism that he sought an intervention against is at its peak. His legacy lives on through those who carry forward his convictions and courage.
The writer is a historian and professor at Centre for Historical Studies, JNU
