A three-day historical literature festival began at Hyderabad Public School on Friday, bringing together historians, authors, academics and researchers for wide-ranging discussions on the ideas and debates that shape historical understanding.
The inaugural session titled ‘Two Modern Statesmen: KM Panikkar and M Visvesvaraya’ featured authors Narayani Basu and Aparajith Ramnath in conversation with Amar Farooqui.
Talking about diplomat KM Panikkar, Ms Basu, who wrote his biography ‘A Man for All Seasons’, traced his return to India in 1918 against the backdrop of political upheaval after World War I, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Rowlatt Acts. She said that although Panikkar sympathized with the growing nationalist sentiment, he chose to honor his academic commitment at Aligarh Muslim University when he was invited to join the Non-Cooperation Movement, reflecting what she described as a strong sense of institutional duty.
Aparajith Ramnath, who spoke about the “Father of Indian Engineering” M. Visvesvaraya, emphasized his central role in conceptualizing large-scale engineering projects, especially reservoirs. He described the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam on the Kaveri as a pioneering multi-purpose project for irrigation, power generation and drinking water needs. Although Visvesvaraya became the public face of the project, Mr. Ramnath emphasized that it was a collaborative effort built over nearly 20 years that faced both financial and political opposition.
Another session titled ‘Sculpting the Past: Ancient Art of India’ featured Parul Pandya Dhar, Naman Ahuja and Pushkar Sohoni. Arguing that artistic influences are not unidirectional, Ms. Dhar spoke about Indo-Asian iconographies during her presentation. Mr. Ahuja explored the themes of migration and transculturalism in shaping artistic traditions. Mr. Sohoni criticized the way history is taught in India, noting that it is often devoid of vibrancy. He also discussed the architecture of the Deccan Sultanate and placed it within wider cultural and political currents.
The festival then moved into a section called ‘Melodies Through Time: Snippets of Music History’, featuring Sumana Ramanan, Priya Purushothaman and Vidya Rao, who explored elements of music history and performance traditions across regions.
The day concluded with ‘The Call of Hearts in Love: Myriad Living Traditions of Qawwali’ with Kathak dancer and researcher Manjari Chaturvedi and the Warsi Brothers, closing the proceedings with a celebration of the devotional musical traditions.
The festival ends on Sunday.
Published – 06 Feb 2026 20:09 IST