Guwahati: Sumit Sarkar, the renowned Marxist historian known for his scholarship on modern Indian history, died in New Delhi on Thursday at the age of 87. He had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital for a prolonged illness.
Sarkar was a leading academic in modern Indian history and taught at the University of Delhi. He was also a Fellow of Wolfson College, London.
His 1973 work The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, 1903-1908 is regarded as an important study of Bengal’s nationalist movement. His other major books include A Critique of Colonial India (1985), Modern India (1989), Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right (1993), Writing Social History (1998) and Beyond Nationalist Frames: Postmodernism, Hindu Fundamentalism, History (2002).
Through his writings, Sarkar examined Indian nationalism beyond its prominent leaders, focusing on ordinary people, social and economic developments, popular movements and the wider conditions that shaped the freedom struggle.
Born in Kolkata in 1939, Sarkar came from an academic family. His father, Susobhan Chandra Sarkar, taught history at Presidency College, the University of Calcutta and Jadavpur University. His maternal uncle was renowned statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.
Sarkar completed his BA (Honours) in History at Presidency College, Kolkata, before earning his Master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Calcutta.
His last rites will be held at 4.30 pm on Saturday, August 15, in Green Park, Delhi.
Several political leaders, historians, writers and academics paid tribute to Sarkar following his death.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh described Sarkar on X as a teacher who influenced an entire generation of students through his scholarship and writing. Ramesh recalled Sarkar’s contribution to the study of modern India and said several of his books had shaped his own understanding of Indian history.
He also remembered him as a scholar who remained firm in his views while maintaining a gentle manner.
Author Nilanjana Roy described Sarkar as a historian, writer and strong advocate of pluralism and anti-fascism. She said his approach treated history as a democratic exercise in which the experiences, struggles and acts of resistance of ordinary Indians were as important as the ideas of prominent leaders and intellectuals.
RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha remembered Sarkar’s interpretation of Mahatma Gandhi and his account of Gandhi’s journey through Noakhali around the time of Independence. Jha said Sarkar presented modern Indian history as a complex account shaped by contradictions, conflicts, aspirations and diverse social experiences.
Historian S. Irfan Habib described Sarkar as one of the most distinguished historians of modern India. He recalled The Swadeshi Movement and Modern India as enduring works and offered condolences to Sarkar’s wife, historian Tanika Sarkar, as well as his students and friends.
CPI general secretary D. Raja said Sarkar brought issues of class, caste, community and gender into the study of modern Indian history, while also drawing attention to the experiences of ordinary people. He recalled Sarkar’s association with India’s Marxist and progressive intellectual traditions and his long connection with the Communist Party of India.
Raja said Sarkar’s critical approach to established historical interpretations and his commitment to secularism, democracy and social justice had made a lasting contribution to India’s intellectual life.
The CPI also paid tribute to Sarkar for his contribution to Indian historiography and the progressive intellectual movement and conveyed condolences to his family, colleagues, students and admirers.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar remembered Sarkar as a Marxist scholar who was outspoken in his criticism of both nationalist interpretations of history and the Communist Party. He also recalled Sarkar’s criticism of Subaltern historians.
Journalist Ravish Kumar recalled attending Sarkar’s classes at the University of Delhi and described him as a teacher who approached students with humility despite his vast knowledge. Kumar said Sarkar’s lectures combined deep scholarship with subtle humour and sarcasm, while his teaching style kept students engaged. He recalled that many students who attended Sarkar’s classes later became prominent historians.
Kumar also described Sarkar’s approach to teaching as democratic and influenced by Gandhian values. He said Sarkar’s death marked the loss of not only an outstanding historian but also a teacher who inspired generations of students.