Historian DN Jha, known for his secular reading of Indian history and ability to speak truth to power, passed away on February 4, at the age of 81. Fondly referred to as the people's historian Jha believed that a historian must not just state facts but also take a position.
Throughout his academic career, Jha has staunchly fought any communal or majoritarian propaganda derived from historical instances and has busted several myths in his lifetime. Amongst his most famous and controversial assertions was that there was no substantial evidence to prove that the demolished temple had once stood at the place where the Babri Masjid was built. He said that the theory was allegedly constructed by the Sangh Parivar only to further its political interests. According to The Wire, Jha was from amongst the first generation of historians in the country who wrote about independent India and opened up pathways for historical research.
Jha received death threats over his book 'The Myth of the Holy Cow'. The text outlined beef eating practices in ancient India, creating controversy at a time when fringe elements from the right-wing were demonising beef-eaters.
The veteran historian has been subjected to repeated attacks from the right-wing throughout his career. Arun Shourie, a minister of the Vajpayee government in fact alleged that he was distorting history and claimed he was selectively lifting sources and obscuring facts. This was in connection to his assertion that the Buddhist complex of Nalanda University was destroyed by followers of Brahmanical religion.
His works include ‘Studies in early Indian economic history’, ‘Economy and Society in Early India: Issues and Paradigms’, ‘Society and Ideology in India’, ‘Ancient India: In Historical Outline’, ‘Holy Cow: Beef in Indian Dietary Traditions’, ‘Early India: A Concise History, Myth of the Holy Cow’, and ‘Rethinking Hindu Identity’.
Originally from Bihar, he studied in Patna University and later in Presidency College in Kolkata. He began his career in Delhi University.