In this discussion about the book “History Men,” the conversation centred around the controversial but rather popular figure in history writing, Sir Jadunath Sarkar. The view of Sir Jadunath about history writing is that it is an intensely personal experience, between the historian and the pieces of evidence that he or she has gathered. He was a true historian in terms of sticking to the basics, that is learning from the primary sources. He was not biased but rather impartial in telling the history to the extent, that for him whether it showed his own country in a good or poor light was immaterial. Yet, still, he had shown some predisposition for narrating mughal history from his perspective. Is the narration of history often influenced by the inclination of the historian to his or her contemporary political situations?

About The Speakers:
Swapan Dasgupta is a former MP in the Rajya Sabha, a Padma Bhushan laureate, and an illustrated journalist.
Dr T.C.A. Raghavan is the former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan and Singapore. He is now a history enthusiast; and author of Attendant Lords, The People Next Door, and History Men.