In Defence of History

It is a matter of great honour to be associated with an event felicitating Professor Irfan Habib, one of the tallest intellectuals India has produced since independence. Professor Habib is a historian with a global presence. He has the rare distinction of a scholar from the third world who has played a stellar role in the making of a school of history, the Aligarh School, which is recognised globally. No one can write, certainly about the medieval period in India, without reference to it. He has in recent years made very important contributions to the understanding of other periods of history from the Ancient to the Contemporary.