History definite in its context let one trace the nuances of the past, learn more about what we already know and read about people and processes that forms different cultures, was the core of the discussion that featured historians like William Dalrymple, Manu S Pillai Parvati Sharma and Vikram Sampath.
Dalrymple who commenced the session with a brief introduction, touched upon the various apsects of crafting narratives from the past. “History comes very easily to me. My first book was a collection of biographies. I would call biographies as a love affair. Biographer and the subject share a good relationship,” Vikram Sampath said.
Noting biographies as a medium of history in the west, Manu S Pillai said that they represented the microcosm of a period. “In colonial India our historians could write unbiased history, but in independent India it’s not possible,” added Vikram Sampath.“On one hand, in schools, History and Maths were the most dreaded subjects. But now history has become one of the most important subjects,” Parvati Sharma, marked her opinion.
The session concluded with a brief discussion on the upcoming works of the speakers.