Eminent historian Bipan Chandra dead

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
New Delhi, Aug 30:

Eminent Indian historian Prof Bipan Chandra, known for his bold and original interpretation of modern Indian history, died today in his sleep, family members said.

Prof Bipan Chandra
Prof Bipan Chandra

He was 86.

Prof Chandra, considered to have been one of the best known scholars on India’s freedom struggle, was an authority on Mahatma Gandhi.

The former professor of History, was born in 1928 in the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh. He studied at the Forman Christian College, Lahore and then at Stanford University, United States.

He did his PhD thesis from University of Delhi. Mr Chandra was a member of the University Grants Commission in 1993. He was the professor of Modern Indian History at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) until his retirement.

Author of several books such as “The Making of Modern India: From Marx to Gandhi”, “History of Modern India” and “The Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism in India”, Chandra was also the former chairman of the National Book Trust (2004-12).

Mr Chandra, who was a life-long communist, had many of his books prescribed as a standard history text in Indian schools.

Family sources said he died around 6 AM on Saturday morning at his home in Gurgaon. He had not been keeping well over the last few months. The cremation will take place later in the day in New Delhi.

(with inputs from ndtv.com)

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