Renowned historian Ramachandra Guha joins Ahmedabad University

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 16: Renowned historian and biographer, Dr. Ramachandra Guha will be joining Ahmedabad University as the Shrenik Lalbhai Chair Professor of Humanities and Director of the Gandhi Winter School at the University’s School of Arts and Sciences.

At Ahmedabad University Dr. Guha will help imagine a curriculum that lies at the intersection of history and other streams in the Humanities, as well as explore how history can enrich diverse disciplines, spanning technology, business and even specialisations such as life-sciences, heritage management or environment and energy.

Prof Guha said, “I am absolutely delighted to be joining the faculty of Ahmedabad University. Ahmedabad has a great tradition of public-spirited philanthropy in the sphere of higher education; and Ahmedabad University is a notable renewal and extension of that tradition. I am impressed by the University's inter-disciplinary approach, its mix of sagacious older and superb younger faculty, and its visionary leadership. And I have known and loved Ahmedabad ever since my first visit there forty years ago; to now return, to teach and work in the city where Mahatma Gandhi made his home and nurtured the freedom movement, excites me beyond measure.”

Liberal education is receiving growing interest in India and offers students the breadth of perspective necessary for critical thinking, intellectual depth and problem-solving. Professor Chandra, Vice Chancellor, Ahmedabad University said, “We are delighted that Ram Guha will be part of the evolving story of Ahmedabad University as we establish new standards in Indian higher education. With the interest in liberal education gaining impetus in India, Dr. Guha will bring his interpretation of history including environmental, political, contemporary and even cricket history to develop interesting and powerful programmes and research that stand at the confluence of various disciplines. Equally important, his presence will help the University build our own dialogue around Gandhi.”

A historian and biographer, Dr. Guha has rich teaching experience that includes stints at the universities of Yale and Stanford. He has held the Arné Naess Chair at the University of Oslo and has served as professor at University of California at Berkeley as well as at the London School of Economics. He holds an honorary doctorate in Humanities from Yale University.

His book – India after Gandhi – has been selected as book of the year by The Economist, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, Time Out and Outlook. Additionally, it was a book of the decade in The Times of India, The Times of London and The Hindu.

Dr. Guha’s latest book, GANDHI The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948, has received widespread acclaim, with The New York Times acknowledging Guha’s contribution to the immense body of literature on Gandhi through a work that “does help build a fair, thorough and nuanced portrait of the man.”