Bipan Chandra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1928-05-24)24 May 1928 |
| Died | 30 August 2014(2014-08-30) (aged 86) |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Alma mater | |
| Works | India's Struggle for Independence |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2010),[1] Royal Asiatic Society of Bihar plaque |
Bipan Chandra (24 May 1928 – 30 August 2014)[2] was an Indianhistorian, specialising ineconomic andpolitical history ofmodern India. An emeritus professor of modern history atJawaharlal Nehru University, he specialized on theIndian independence movement and is considered a leading scholar onMahatma Gandhi. He authored several books, includingThe Rise and Growth of Economic Nationalism.[3]
Chandra was born inKangra inPunjab, British India (now inHimachal Pradesh). He graduated fromForman Christian College,Lahore in 1946 after which thePartition forced him to leave. Thereafter, he went to theUnited States where he studied at theStanford University,California. He established relationships withCommunists in the United States; later, he was forced to leave the country as theanti-Communist crusade ofJoseph McCarthy hit a fever pitch.[4] Back in Delhi in the early 1950s, Bipan Chandra was appointed lecturer in history atHindu College, Delhi. He would go on to complete his PhD fromDelhi University in 1959.[5]
Chandra taught for many years aslecturer and then asreader at Hindu College.[6] He moved toJawaharlal Nehru University when it was established in 1969, and established the Centre for Historical Studies, alongside colleagues includingRomila Thapar,Sarvepalli Gopal, andSatish Chandra.
He founded the journalEnquiry with his colleagueRandhir Singh at Delhi University.[4]
Chandra was a sectional president and then the general president of theIndian History Congress atAmritsar in 1985.[7] He became a member of theUniversity Grants Commission in 1993.[6] He was thechairman of theNational Book Trust,New Delhi from 2004 to 2012.[8] As Chairman of National Book Trust, India, he started many new series such as Popular Social Science, Autobiography, Afro-Asian Countries series, Indian Diaspora Studies etc.[9]
TheGovernment of India conferred thePadma Bhushan on Chandra in 2010 for his distinct contribution in the fields of literature and education.[5]
Chandra was at the forefront of thecommunist movement in India since Independence.[10] His co-authored book,Freedom Struggle, was censored by the new central government that came to power in India in 1977.[11] He collaborated with many historians, includingNurul Hasan,Ram Sharan Sharma,Sarvapalli Gopal,Satish Chandra,Romila Thapar,Irfan Habib,Barun De andArjun Dev and his students, such asMridula Mukherjee,Aditya Mukherjee,Sucheta Mahajan andVishalakshi Menon, some of whose textbooks have previously been prescribed in the history syllabi of schools in India.[12][13]
After a prolonged illness, Chandra died on 30 August 2014 at the age of 86 at his home inGurgaon.[14][15]Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi organised a commemorative event on his birth anniversary.[16][17]
