Renowned historian and former JNU professor KN Panikkar passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, aged 89. He was a dear teacher to many generations of students at JNU and a public intellectual who constantly reminded people that India's pluralism was shaped by the course of history.
Panikkar served as professor of history at the Jawaharlal Nehru University and later shifted base to Kerala, serving as vice-chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, and chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research (KCHR) for 10 years.
He was a much-loved teacher who never imposed his ideas, but gave full freedom to pursue his students' line of thought. His household was always open to students, who could drop by for tea or discussions on any topic.
Panikkar was a historian of ideas who unknotted the many complex strands of Indian nationalism and the social reform movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. He was committed to a just and egalitarian social order and steadfast in opposing all forms of communalism.
He published several works, including 'Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprising in Malabar', which broke new ground regarding the history and lineage of a popular uprising in Malabar against the British colonial administration.
Panikkar was a fellow traveller of the Left and maintained close ties with the Indian communist movement. He was also a mentor to many young scholars, academicians, and activists who flocked to his flat in Thiruvananthapuram for conversations and assurances about values.
