Speaking Of History: Conversations About India’s Past And Present

Speaking of History brings India’s past into sharp, urgent focus through wide-ranging conversations between Romila Thapar, the distinguished historian, and Namit Arora, incisive writer and social critic. Together, they explore how history is written, remembered, and contested, pulling back the curtain on the historian’s craft—how evidence is weighed, interpretations are made, and why the past has become a battleground of politics and identity. From caste and gender to religion, mythology, and nationalism, they revisit contested terrain and ask vital questions: what can we truly know about our past, and why does it matter so much today? Erudite yet refreshingly accessible, this book challenges distortion and mythmaking while celebrating history as an act of curiosity, argument, and critical inquiry. At a time when the discipline is under siege, Speaking of History stands as both a defense of rigorous scholarship and a lively reminder that engaging with history in all its complexity is a profound journey—an inquiry not just into the past, but into ourselves. Romila Thapar, Emeritus Professor of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University and recipient of the prestigious Kluge Prize, has authored over 25 books. Namit Arora, writer and social critic, is the author of three previous works and creator of the acclaimed web series Indians: A Brief History of a Civilization.