Dr. Vikram Sampath :Who Owns the past? The Battle Over Bharat’s History

A conversation on revisiting Bharatiya history with academic rigor and contemporary insight . Dr. Vikram Sampath with Arjun Narayanan This session examines the urgency of reassessing Indian historical narratives shaped by post-independence academic frameworks and inherited colonial methodologies. It explores how selective interpretations, omissions, and ideological lenses have influenced public understanding of the past. Drawing on interdisciplinary approaches including archaeology, regional histories, epigraphy, literature, and oral traditions, the session highlights ways to recover marginalised voices and forgotten cultural memories. It also reflects on how rigorous historical research informs heritage conservation, community engagement, institutional responsibility, and long-term cultural planning, emphasising the role of place-based narratives in restoring cultural memory and pride. Copyright with Conversations On Culture