This talk was delivered at the annual conference 'On History and Literature' held in Calcutta in July 2025. I came to history through stories. My father gave me a copy of Kamala Subramaniam’s retelling of the Mahabharata, published by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, its cover dyed saffron, with a picture of Vyasa dictating the great epic to Ganesha. I remember my seven-year-old-self, sitting on the terrace in the winter sun, having carted up a dhurrie and a plate of oranges, weep

This lecture was delivered at the regional conference on 'What is History' held in Bulandshahr, October 2024.