WATCH | Irfan Habib on Gandhi, Nehru, RSS, & rewriting Indian history

In this episode of SpeakEasy with Amit Baruah, historian Professor Irfan Habib speaks about the importance of studying history to understand the present. Habib discusses the sources historians use to reconstruct India’s past, the limits of historical evidence, and the dangers of glorifying history instead of understanding it.

The conversation moves from ancient and medieval Indian history to the politics of the present. Habib speaks about Mahatma Gandhi’s contribution to Hindu-Muslim relations, the Left’s past assessment of Gandhi, and the political relationship between Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Habib also discusses why Nehru remains a target of Hindu nationalist criticism, his memories of Nehru’s visits to Aligarh, the experience of Independence in 1947, and the long political consequences of Partition. He concludes with his views on the global rise of right-wing leaders and what it says about contemporary politics.