What India Needs: Reading India’s Past Today with Dr. Vikram Sampath Artwork

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What India Needs with Shutapa Paul

What India Needs: Reading India’s Past Today with Dr. Vikram Sampath

January 19, 2026 • Shutapa Paul • Season 4 • Episode 2

0:00 | 1:14:22

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India’s past has many versions. Which version of history do you believe?

In this episode of What India Needs, Shutapa Paul deciphers bygone times with historian and acclaimed author Dr. Vikram Sampath. From Mahatma Gandhi and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar to Jawaharlal Nehru and B R Ambedkar, the conversation touches upon many controversial Indian leaders. They also discuss the realities of being a contemporary historian in India, challenges of writing biographies amid political pressure, cinema’s overarching influence on public memory, and why parts of India’s freedom struggle remain missing from textbooks.

Dr. Sampath also speaks about truth and reconciliation, the dismal state of Indian archives, and how technology and AI can help democratise access to knowledge.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen on Spotify.

#WhatIndiaNeeds #WhatIndiaNeedsPodcast #IndianHistory #PublicHistory #FreedomStruggle #TruthVsNarrative #Historians

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00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:08 - The Challenges and opportunities of being a contemporary historian

00:05:22 - History, Politics, and the Role of the Historian

00:12:18 - Handling Criticism and Trolling as an Author

00:16:20 - The Politicalisation of Historical Debates

00:17:07 - History in Cinema and the Problem of Whitewashing

00:19:53 - Biographer's Approach

00:22:34 - Debunking Myths: V.D. Savarkar's Petitions

00:28:52 - The Armed Struggle for Independence and its Erasure