- By Sarju Saran Tiwari
- Sun, 25 Jan 2026 01:08 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
History is a continuous process and cannot be taught in fragments, eminent historian Romila Thapar has said, while calling the practice of removal of entire dynasties such as the Mughals from textbooks as "nonsense".
Speaking online at the ongoing ninth edition of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), Thapar on Saturday addressed issues ranging from the rise of popular history on social media to the importance of feminist history and the central role of education in questioning existing knowledge.
"The kinds of things that are happening, where, for example, chunks of history are being thrown out of the syllabus or we are told we don't need to study them, are nonsense. History is a continuous process. It is an evolution of people and cultures, of ways of behaviour and ways of thinking," she said.
Renowned historian Romila Thapar stated that history should be taught as a continuous process. She criticized the removal of entire dynasties, such as the Mughals, from textbooks, calling it "nonsense," and warned that popular history on social media distorts serious research.
NCERT CLASS 7th Textbook Revised:
According to reports, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has revised its Class 7 Social Science textbook for the 2025-26 academic year, removing chapters on the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughals.
Instead, it now focuses on ancient Indian dynasties such as the Mauryas, Shungas, and Satavahanas, as well as cultural traditions and sacred sites of religious traditions.
What Concern shows By EMINENT Historian?
The 93-year-old historian also expressed concern about the growing influence of "popular history" on social media, saying it often blurs the line between informed research and opinion.
She urged people to rely on the statements of professional historians for accurate information about past events.
She explained, "There is now a difference between popular history and what professional historians write, and it is important to know and understand this difference and what it means. When a historical statement is quoted, it is important to know whether it comes from professional historical writing or is a statement circulated on social media."
Speaking about her journey as a historian, Thapar acknowledged that she may not have consciously written history from a woman's perspective throughout her career, but she consistently tried to incorporate feminist thinking wherever possible.
More importantly, she emphasized the need for women to assert their independence and demand respect in professional spaces, stating that while writing feminist history was important, equally crucial was "behaving like a feminist" by standing up for freedom, critical thinking, and intellectual independence.
She concluded by saying, "I think an independent woman is very important. So, my perspective on this has been that yes, we have to write feminist history, that's for sure, but if I'm not writing feminist history, at least I'm behaving like a feminist. I'm spreading the message that an independent woman is a very important part of any society."
9th Edition Of Kerala Literature Festival (KLF) 2026:
The four-day literary event features over 400 speakers, including Nobel laureates Abdulrazak Gurnah and Abhijit Banerjee, astronaut Sunita Williams, author Kiran Desai, essayist Pico Iyer, Jnanpith Award winner Pratibha Ray, sports icons Rohan Bopanna and Ben Johnson, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. KLF 2026, now in its ninth edition, will conclude on Sunday.