Eminent Historian K.N. Panikkar Passes Away at 89

New Delhi: Eminent historian and public intellectual K.N. Panikkar died in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday (March 9) after age related health complications, Manorama online reports. He was 89. Panikkar was widely regarded as one of India's leading Marxist historians and an influential voice in debates on secularism, communalism and the writing of modern Indian history.

Born on April 26, 1936 in Guruvayur, Panikkar built a long academic career examining colonial society, social movements and the relationship between culture, religion and politics. His scholarship focused on popular movements and marginalised communities in colonial India.

He taught for several years at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, where he served as head of the history department and later dean of the School of Social Sciences. Panikkar held key academic and policy positions in Kerala as well, including as vice chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit and chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research.

Among his well known works are Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprisings in Malabar, Culture and Consciousness in Modern India and A Concerned Indian's Guide to Communalism. His writings were widely noted for their strong defence of secular and evidence based approaches to history.

Panikkar was active in public debates about history, education and culture for decades. He is survived by his daughters Ragini and Shalini.

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