Noted historian Dr KN Panikkar passes away

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: Renowned historian and founding chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research, Dr K.N. Panikkar, passed away on Monday. He was 89.

He died at Sree Uthradom Thirunal (SUT) Hospital in Pattom.

Panikkar, who adopted a Marxist approach to historical writing, was widely regarded as one of India’s leading historians. He was known for his strong commitment to secular values and for promoting a scientific and progressive approach to Indian historiography.

Born in 1936 in Guruvayur, Panikkar completed his schooling at Chavakkad Board High School. He pursued higher education at Government Victoria College in Palakkad and later at the University of Rajasthan.

Panikkar served as a faculty member in the history department at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. During his tenure, he also served as the head of the department, dean of the School of Social Sciences, and chairman of the Archives of Contemporary History.

He had also served as a visiting professor at several foreign universities. In addition, Panikkar was the Vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady. At the time of his death, he was serving as the chairman of the Kerala State Higher Education Council.

Among his notable works are Culture and Consciousness in Modern India, Against Lord and State, British Diplomacy in North India, Interrogating Colonial Modernity, Culture, Ideology and Hegemony, Communal Threat, Secular Challenge, and Contemporary India: Culture and Politics. He also edited several academic volumes.

In 2017, the Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him with its Distinguished Fellowship in recognition of his contributions to historical scholarship.