INDIA: The Mother of Democracy

Professor Raghuvendra Tanwar (DOB 20.02.1955) has an outstanding academic record with two Gold Medals at the Post Graduate level for standing ‘First Class First’ M.A. History and for securing the highest percentage of marks in the Faculty of Social Sciences (Kurukshetra University – 1977). He joined as Lecturer, History, at Kurukshetra University in August, 1977 and was selected as Professor Open Selection in 1997. He superannuated from service after about 38 years in February, 2015. Tanwar was honoured with the position of ‘Professor Emeritus’ by Kurukshetra University in 2015. At Kurukshetra University he was also Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Dean Academic Affairs. He was Director of the Haryana Academy of History and Culture from July 2016 to December 2021. The Academy is an autonomous body of the Government of Haryana. He was nominated as Chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research New Delhi in January 2022. Professor Tanwar is reputed for his contribution to the study of the partition of India mainly the Punjab. His work on the partition of Punjab: Reporting the Partition of Punjab – Press Public & Other Opinions 1947, (2006, Manohar, New Delhi and Vanguard, Lahore) has received worldwide attention and has impacted the mainstream narrative making the study an important point of reference. He is also acclaimed for his important research on the history of Jammu & Kashmir in the critical phase of 1947 – 1953. His book Be Clear Kashmir Will Vote for India, Jammu & Kashmir 1947-1953: Reporting the Contemporary Understanding of the Unreported (2019, Routledge, London & Manohar, New Delhi) has questioned the existing common historical narratives explaining how public opinion in Kashmir irrespective of religion for example was clearly in favour of merger with India. The study is based mainly on hitherto untapped sources. Professor Tanwar’s (2021) book ‘The Story of India’s Partition’ (illustrated with 240 photographs and illustrations) has been published by the Publication Division, Government of India in English and Hindi. As Director of the Haryana Academy of History & Culture he edited a five-volume study of the speeches and writings of Punjab’s legendary peasant leader Sir Chhotu Ram and a two-volume collection of writings and speeches of Dr. Mangal Sein, the popular leader of the Punjab and Haryana. His other publications include a well-received compilation of articles written for national newspapers over a period of 20 years titled: ‘Frankly Speaking’. He has also co-authored an illustrated biography of Bansi Lal published in English & Hindi. The volume was well received as a fair and objective study of the builder of modern Haryana. He has been a National Fellow of the UGC (Research Award), an awardee of the UGC Major Research Project and a Foreign Travel Research Awardee of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), a Member of the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, Editorial, a member of the Indian Historical Records Commission, New Delhi. Prof. Tanwar’s contribution to the field of history has been widely acknowledged. He was President of the Modern Section of the Punjab History Conference (2001) and later General President of the Punjab History Conference (2017). In 2008, he was President of the Contemporary Section of the Indian History Congress. Prof. Tanwar is associated with several educational institutions particularly in rural areas. He is a well-known sportsman having captained the Kurukshetra University and the Haryana State Lawn Tennis Teams.

Megh Kalyanasundaram is an Indian citizen with close to nine years of lived experience in China, an alumnus of ISB and is currently Director Special Projects at INDICA. His post-graduate specialization in Strategy, Leadership and Marketing included a study of research methods. His professional experience includes stints as a Market Leader at a Global Fortune 50 firm, as Head of Business Development at a leading Indian talent development multinational and he has served a term on the Board of a Shanghai-based not-for-profit. His academic research interests and 20+ papers span some aspects of ancient Indian chronology, Indian Knowledge Systems, Landscape in Indic texts, Ancient Indian Jurisprudence, Ideas of India and Philosophy. For his creative contribution to the first edition of the International Day of Yoga, he was invited by the Permanent Mission of India in the United Nations to attend the inaugural event at the UN. Other professional and pro-bono pursuits have included building differentiated digital platforms for Indic texts targeted at specific learning and research needs and music. His research-based compositional Sanskrit album 'Bhārata and her Kāśmīra' has been listed by the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) while his subsequent album 'Indian Knowledge Systems and Yāskācārya's Nirukta' has recently been accepted for listing by the Vedic Heritage Portal. In 2022, Megh was invited by the National Museum Institute (NMI) to contribute content for multiple projects currently underway at NMI, including ones on Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh and Kedarnath.