Romila Thapar Slams ‘Fragmented’ History Teaching

Historian Calls Removal of Mughals from Textbooks “Nonsense” at Kerala Literature Festival

January 25, 2026: Eminent historian Romila Thapar has criticised the removal of entire dynasties such as the Mughals from school textbooks, calling the practice “nonsense” and warning against teaching history in fragments. Speaking online at the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF), Thapar said history is a continuous process shaped by evolving people, cultures, and ideas, and cannot be selectively edited without distorting its meaning. She argued that excluding certain periods or dynasties breaks the natural continuity of history and undermines serious understanding of the past.

Her remarks come amid reports that the NCERT has revised its Class 7 Social Science textbook for the 2025–26 academic year, removing chapters on the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, while shifting focus to ancient Indian dynasties such as the Mauryas, Shungas, and Satavahanas. Thapar also expressed concern over the growing influence of “popular history” on social media, cautioning that it often blurs the line between scholarly research and personal opinion. She urged readers to rely on professional historians for accurate interpretations of historical events.

Reflecting on her own work during the session “Women Writing History: Three Generations”, the 94-year-old scholar highlighted the importance of feminist perspectives and intellectual autonomy. While noting that she may not always have consciously written feminist history, Thapar stressed the need for women to assert independence, critical thinking, and freedom in professional spaces. Emphasising that “behaving like a feminist” is as important as writing feminist history, she concluded that an autonomous woman is essential to any society.