Society and Ideology in India: Essays in Honour of Prof. R.S. Sharma

A doyen of Indian historians, Professor Ram Sharan Sharma (b. 1920), through his extensive historical writings, has not only been combating the communalist, obscurantist and chauvinist elements in the country but has also continued to fight the subtle Western propaganda projecting a distorted image of India. Based on a combined use of textual, archaeological and numismatic evidence and on the information gathered from field work, Professor Sharma's researches have called into question the stereotype image of India and the myths which have gripped the minds of the people for long. Professor Sharma, without doubt, represents a distinct historiographical trend of profound radical scholarship which demystifies our past. The present volume, a festschrift to Professor Ram Sharan Sharma, consists of research papers by eminent scholars who share, in varying degrees, his perception of historical developments and have stood by him in his battle against the obfuscation of India's past. The papers relate to ancient, medieval and modern periods of Indian history and throw fresh light on the dynamics of socio-economic change and its ideological manifestations-a theme in which Professor Sharma has been deeply interested.