"Can’t teach Gandhi in Gandhi’s city," quips historian Ramachandra Guha

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Nov 02, 2018 : Historian and biographer Ramachandra Guha tweeted on Thursday that he would not join Ahmedabad University in Gujarat "due to circumstances beyond my control".

 

According to NDTV reports Mr Guha made the announcement days after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing linked to the RSS or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, raised fierce objections to his appointment and demanded that the university withdraw its offer.

"Due to circumstances beyond my control, I shall not be joining Ahmedabad University. I wish AU well; it has fine faculty and an outstanding Vice Chancellor. And may the spirit of Gandhi one day come alive once more in his native Gujarat," he said.

The historian did not give any more details but in a response to a comment on Twitter, he posted that ..."a biographer of Gandhi cannot teach a course on Gandhi in Gandhi’s own city".

On October 16, the university had announced that Mr Guha will join it as ’Shrenik Lalbhai Chair’ Professor of Humanities and director of the Gandhi Winter School. He was reportedly supposed to join the university in February, but reports said the university wanted to defer the date.

ABVP had targeted the university, accusing it of inviting someone whose writings were "anti-national".

Ahmedabad University is a private, non-profit University.

Mr Guha has authored several acclaimed books; his latest is  "Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, 1914-1948".