The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) has sent a tentative list of nominees to the Human Resource Development Ministry to fill the 11 vacancies in its council. These include office bearers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s historians network Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana.
A senior HRD official said that the list includes ABISY vice-president Narayan Rao and it’s West Bengal unit head Nikhiles Guha. Former Berhampur University Prof. Rao is a Vedic scholar and former Kalyani University Prof. Guha has published works on Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee and the Mysore princely state. He has also compiled the songs of social reformer Rammohun Roy. Guha was denied an extension in service in 2007, which he unsuccessfully challenged in the Calcutta High Court.
The list also includes Sugam Anand — History and Culture Department Head of Agra’s BR Ambedkar University, RS Agrawal — formerly with Meerut-based Chaudhary Charan Singh University and Banaras Hindu Unversity Paleographist and Epigraphist Suman Jain from Uttar Pradesh.
Scholars such as like Baidhyanath Labh — Buddhist Studies head at Jammu University, Archaeologist Rahman Ali — former history head at Ujjain’s Vikram University and K. Ratnam of Gwalior’s Maharani Laxmi Bai Government College of Excellence. Mr. Ratnam is known for popularising Gwalior’s obscure historical sites among students of Jiwaji University there.
Terms of 11 of the 18 historians nominated by the government fell vacant on December 22.
The government is also expected to replace members of the Central Advisory Board of Education, in the near future, the official said.
