Eminent historian KN Panikkar passes away at 89

Eminent historian, academic and public intellectual Kandiyoor Narayana Panikkar, popularly known as K N Panikkar, widely regarded as one of India’s foremost Marxist historians, passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. He breathed his last at SUT hospital here after undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at the age of 89.

Panikkar served as vice-chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, vice- hairman of the Kerala State Higher Education Council, and founding president of the Kerala History Congress.

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The Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR), which he once chaired, had been preparing to mark his 90th birthday in April when his end came.

A sharp critique of communalism and a firm defender of secularism, Panikkar was a fearless voice in public debates on education, culture, and politics.

An influential academic, Panikkar taught for many years at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, from 1972 where he mentored generations of students and scholars. He also went on to serve in several key academic roles, including professor, head of the department and dean of the School of Social Sciences. Beyond academia, he played a significant role as a cultural activist and educationist, actively engaging in debates on history, culture and public policy.

A prolific writer, his works include, A Concerned Indian’s Guide to Communalism, Towards Freedom, 1940: A Documentary History of the Freedom Struggle, Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprisings in Malabar, Culture and Consciousness in Modern India, Culture, Ideology and Hegemony – Intellectuals and Social Consciousness in Colonial India, and Before the Night Falls.

Born in 1936 in Guruvayoor, Panikkar, known for his work on the intellectual and cultural history of colonial India, consistently challenged Hindutva nationalism, questioning jingoism and sectarian hatred. His contribution to modern Indian history considerably enriched Indian Marxist historiography

He graduated from Victoria College, Palakkad, pursued post graduation at Rajasthan University in Jaipur, and earned his doctorate from the same institution. He went on to teach at Delhi University’s Hansraj College before joining Jawaharlal Nehru University, where he served as Professor and Dean of Social Sciences, and later as Chairman of the Centre for Historical Studies, one of the most influential positions in Indian academic historiography.

He is survived by his wife Usha Bhargava, and two daughtes , Ragini and Shalini.