Sumit Sarkar • 1939-2026: Foremost Indian historian whose lectures were ‘musical’

Professor Sumit Sarkar, a preeminent Indian historian, passed away at the age of 87 in 2026 after battling illness for years. Born in 1939, Sarkar was raised in a family deeply rooted in history, with his father, Sushobhan Chandra Sarkar, being a renowned historian himself. Sarkar completed his education at Presidency College, earning his master's and doctorate from the University of Calcutta, where he also held teaching positions later in life. He further expanded his academic career at the University of Burdwan and Oxford University.

Sarkar's lectures at Delhi University were renowned for their depth and ability to engage students, drawing comparisons to a "musical" experience. Former student Professor Vikas Gupta, who learned from Sarkar in the early 2000s, praised his soft-spoken, calm demeanor and his ability to captivate students, causing them to lose track of time during his sessions. Sarkar's influence extended beyond his lectures; his book "The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal" is considered a cornerstone work in the field.

While Sarkar's work is closely associated with the historiography of the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, he was known for his refusal to be confined to a single historiographical framework. Naresh Kumar, a colleague and associate professor of history at Delhi University's Kamala Nehru College, described Sarkar as a scholar who transformed Marxist theory through his unique questions.

Kumar noted that Sarkar's "pressure from below" approach focused on the freedom struggle from the perspectives of ordinary people, including women, tribals, Dalits, and workers. For Kumar, Sarkar was a rare blend of scholarship and teaching, likening his lectures to an "alaap" in a raga.