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

Sumit Sarkar, one of India's leading historians, passed away on Thursday at the age of 87 after battling illness for many years. Born in 1939, Sarkar hailed from a family with a rich history; his father, Sushobhan Chandra Sarkar, was himself a distinguished historian.

Sarkar's academic journey started at Presidency College, where he earned both his master's and PhD degrees from the University of Calcutta. His expertise soon extended beyond the university walls, with Sarkar teaching at esteemed institutions like the University of Burdwan and Oxford. His most significant contribution to the field of history lies in his work on the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, a book that is considered a cornerstone in the field.

Sarkar's lectures at Delhi University were renowned for their unique style. Former student Professor Vikas Gupta recalled how Sarkar's lectures were marked by a "musical" quality, even as he approached academic subjects with great calm and precision. The atmosphere in his lectures was often so focused that students would lose track of time as they engaged in the material.

Despite being known for his Marxist leanings, Sarkar was anything but confined to a single historiographical framework. Naresh Kumar, a colleague and associate professor of history at Delhi University's Kamala Nehru College, noted that Sarkar refused to be boxed into any particular category. Kumar described Sarkar's approach as a refusal to be confined, highlighting his commitment to Marxism while transforming it through his own questions.

One of Sarkar's key concepts was "pressure from below," an approach that delved into the freedom struggle through the lens of ordinary people, including women, tribals, Dalits, and workers. This perspective added a unique dimension to his scholarship. For Kumar, Sarkar was an exceptional blend of a scholar and a teacher, his lectures resembling an "alaap" in a musical raga, a testament to his ability to captivate and educate simultaneously.