Washington, Dec. 4: Eminent Indian historian Romila Thapar, who created a more "pluralistic view of Indian Civilisation", has been selected as co-recipient of the $1 million Kluge Prize, a prestigious award instituted by the US Library of Congress.
"Ms Thapar created a new and more pluralistic view of Indian civilisation, which had seemed more unitary and uncha-nging, by scrutinising its evolution over two millennia and searching out its historical consciousness," the Library of Congress said. Ms Thapar, 77, is Emeritus Professor of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi will be sharing the award with Irish Historian Peter Robert Lamont Brown, 73, a Professor of History at Princeton.
"She's been a courageous champion, fighting against the politicisation of history by various ideological parties -and that goes for both the extreme left and the extreme right," Robert Eric Fry-kenberg, Professor Emeritus of History and South Asian studies at the University of Wisconsin said.
"She fought against the skewing of textbooks so that they would be nothing but a government-sponsored propaganda machine."
Indian studies scholar Indira Peterson has described Ms Thapar as "the preeminent interpreter of ancient Indian history today."
Romila is "virtually the only living historian of ancient and pre-modern India who has risen to the rank of world-class historians," according to Richard Salomon of the University of Washington. â"PTI
> > http://www.asianage.com/presentation/leftnavigation/news/india/ romila-thapar-to- > share-us-prize.aspx > > Washington, Dec. 4: Eminent Indian historian Romila Thapar, who > created a more "pluralistic view of Indian Civilisation", has been > selected as co-recipient of the $1 million Kluge Prize, a prestigious > award instituted by the US Library of Congress. > > "Ms Thapar created a new and more pluralistic view of Indian > civilisation, which had seemed more unitary and uncha-nging, by > scrutinising its evolution over two millennia and searching out its > historical consciousness," the Library of Congress said. Ms Thapar, > 77, is Emeritus Professor of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University in > New Delhi will be sharing the award with Irish Historian Peter Robert > Lamont Brown, 73, a Professor of History at Princeton. > > "She's been a courageous champion, fighting against the politicisation > of history by various ideological parties -and that goes for both the > extreme left and the extreme right," Robert Eric Fry-kenberg, > Professor Emeritus of History and South Asian studies at the > University of Wisconsin said. > > "She fought against the skewing of textbooks so that they would be > nothing but a government-sponsored propaganda machine." > > Indian studies scholar Indira Peterson has described Ms Thapar as "the > preeminent interpreter of ancient Indian history today." > > Romila is "virtually the only living historian of ancient and > pre-modern India who has risen to the rank of world-class historians," > according to Richard Salomon of the University of Washington. â"PTI >
romila thapar trained under the legendary A.L. Basham indologist whose book.'the wonder that was india' kindled real interest thro out the world on indian history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonder_That_was_India
i think this award is an achievement in one spher. such an "wholly american" prize given to Thapar who is generally considered the "dean" of the Marxist school of Indian historians.
Many of her claims have been challenged by journalists and historians please see "Eminent historians: their technology, their lie, their fraud" by Arun Shourie.
but then vijay, iam sure you cant really challenge the beleifs of historians. some may be proved right after a few hundred years. but some historians i have seen can be outright adamant about their views.