What India Needs: Reading India’s Past Today with Dr. Vikram Sampath

Send us a textIndia’s past has many versions. Which version of history do you believe?In this episode of What India Needs, Shutapa Paul deciphers bygone times with historian and acclaimed author Dr. Vikram Sampath. From Mahatma Gandhi and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar to Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar, the conversation touches upon many controversial Indian leaders. They also discuss the realities of being a contemporary historian in India, challenges of writing biographies amid political pressure, cinema’s overarching influence on public memory, and why parts of India’s freedom struggle remain missing from textbooks. Dr. Sampath also speaks about truth and reconciliation, the dismal state of Indian archives, and how technology and AI can help democratise access to knowledge.Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen on Spotify.#WhatIndiaNeeds #WhatIndiaNeedsPodcast #IndianHistory #PublicHistory #FreedomStruggle #TruthVsNarrative #Historians—00:00:00 - Intro00:02:08 - The Challenges and opportunities of being a contemporary historian00:05:22 - History, Politics, and the Role of the Historian00:12:18 - Handling Criticism and Trolling as an Author00:16:20 - The Politicalisation of Historical Debates00:17:07 - History in Cinema and the Problem of Whitewashing00:19:53 - Biographer's Approach00:22:34 - Debunking Myths: V.D. Savarkar's Petitions00:28:52 - The Armed Struggle for Independence and its Erasure00:34:57 - Savarkar vs. Gandhi: The Conflict00:37:57 - Controversies in History Curriculum00:40:59 - History, Politics, and Healing00:44:03 - Truth and Reconciliation process00:46:34 - The state of Indian Archives00:52:36 - Overcoming Bureaucracy: FIHCR00:59:05 - NAAV AI: Using AI Translation and Content Accessibility01:12:52 - From corporate life to history01:14:10 - Outro—#Podcast #IndianHistory #HistoryAndPolitics #Savarkar #Gandhi #FreedomStruggle #PublicIntellectuals #Archives #HistoricalMemory #IndianIdeasSubscribe to our channel:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shutapapaulpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@shutapa_paul Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-shutapa-paul-podcast To know more:Follow Shutapa Paul onLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutapapaul/ Twitter X: https://x.com/ShutapaPaul Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shutapa?igsh=MWZ5cHB3aDg3b21jcQ== Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shutapapaulpage/ Follow Dr. Vikram Sampath onLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-vikram-sampath-frhists-056910/ Twitter X: https://x.com/vikramsampath