Writing Early India: Conversations with Romila Thapar

Developing sound historical consciousness is critical in our ability to effectively respond to the realities we are faced with. Active reading of a vast multiplicity of narratives, critical thinking and analysis, and questioning existing knowledge opens up our sensibilities to the pasts.

How do we write history? How has it been written so far in relation to early India? How do we bring the complexities of multiplicities in everyday classroom? How can we oppose any one linear narrative?

In this conversation, Professor Thapar will be taking pre-submitted questions from teachers across schools based on her most recent talk titled Conversations with India’s Ancient Past (available at https://bit.ly/3j88fH9) and on her work titled 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺: 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘰, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘳𝘪 𝘉𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘢. 

We invite questions from teachers on this Google form: : https://bit.ly/31jHHg0

Last date for submitting questions: 31 August, 2020.

Given that we are time tied, it may not be possible to answer all the questions but Prof Thapar will of course try and cover as much as possible.

Prior to sending in your questions, we request you to please refer to the above-mentioned sources, and submit a question emerging from your engagement with them.