New Delhi: India's history is a tale as old as time. From the Indus Valley civilisation dating back to 3,300 BC to the Chandragupta Maurya empire that ruled over the Indian peninsula during the 320s BC, from the arrival of Persian invaders to the establishment of Delhi Sultanate, from Mughal reign to British rulers' arrival in India, and from Independence finally to 75 years of free India — the history of our country is vast.
Some observe Indian history by segregating various rules and regimes and some have the outlook of Indian history as one but just volumes for the different time periods.
To understand the nuances of Indian history writing, author and academician Makarand R Paranjape and author and socio-political activist Sudheendra Kulkarni will be 'excavating the past' at the 'Wildstone presents ABP Ideas of India', with a conversation on "India's History: Change or Continuity?". Noted journalist Vir Sanghvi will chair the session where both the panellists will discuss how India's history was shaped and whether it needs to be rewritten.
ABP Network is hosting its first 'Ideas of India' Summit, which will take place in Mumbai on March 25-26. The best minds from various fields will talk about India's 75-year journey and the future it holds.
Makarand R Paranjape, Professor of English at JNU since 1999, is a former director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. Paranjape has authored and edited over 50 books. His latest books include Swami Vivekananda: Hinduism and India’s Road to Modernity (2020), New Perspectives in Indian Science and Civilization (2020), and The Death & Afterlife of Mahatma Gandhi (2015).
Sudheendra Kulkarni is the founder of the "Forum For A New South Asia", Mumbai. A strong proponent of inter-faith harmony around the world, Kulkarni is actively involved in a mission to achieve normalisation of India-Pakistan relations and promote closer ties between India and China. He is a well-known socio-political activist, writer and media commentator, and a firm believer in the Gandhian philosophy of truth and nonviolence.