Ramachandra Guha compares his freedom to Umar Khalid’s incarceration, asks why justice delayed
Disclaimer: The following report is based on historian Ramachandra Guha’s opinion piece titled A Life Aborted, published in The Telegraph on November 1, 2025.
Noted historian and author Ramachandra Guha, in his latest artcicle A Life Aborted published in The Telegraph on November 1, 2025, reflected on the academic brilliance of jailed scholar Umar Khalid and the tragic halt to his scholarly career due to his continued imprisonment.
Guha began by recalling his own early research as a historian of forest communities under British colonial rule and how, despite moving to different subjects over the years, he continues to remain attached to that field. He said he recently read a doctoral thesis that impressed him a work on the social and environmental history of what is now Jharkhand.
The thesis, Guha noted, focused on the transformation of Adivasi society in Singhbhum during British colonial rule. It examined how the East India Company took control of the territory and how colonialism reshaped its natural landscape, legal framework, and political and economic systems. The research explored themes such as the commercial orientation of British forest policy, the changing role of local village headmen, and the responses of Adivasi communities to the sweeping changes brought by colonial power.
The scholar, Guha wrote, also paid close attention to intellectual history, offering thoughtful readings of both British officials and Indian anthropologists who studied Singhbhum’s tribal societies.
He went on to list six qualities that made the work stand out:
A strong grasp of previous scholarship – The researcher had a command over writings on Adivasis across India, whether from well-known or obscure authors.
Extensive use of primary sources – The thesis was based on archival work in national, state, and district records, as well as in old essays and books over a century old.
Commitment to fieldwork – The historian had personally visited the area, following Marc Bloch’s advice that a historian needs both thicker boots and thicker notebooks.
Effective use of quotations – The thesis included vivid quotes that brought history alive. One British officer’s account of a forest hunt depicted local tribes dancing, singing, and carrying traditional weapons. Another quote, from a century later during the Non-Cooperation Movement, showed how nationalist sentiment had reached the tribal heartland.
Clarity in writing – Guha praised the author for his simple and powerful language, free from academic jargon.
Balanced argumentation – The scholar avoided the usual stereotypes about tribal life, instead showing how Adivasi communities had diverse responses to colonialism. Some resisted the state, some cooperated, while others used the new system to improve their standing within their own societies.
Guha also pointed out that while the thesis was outstanding, it was not without flaws. It missed certain important secondary sources, such as the works of T.N. Madan on Indian anthropology, and could have included more folklore and oral histories. He also felt that some primary source quotes were unnecessarily long and weakened the narrative.
Despite these minor issues, Guha described it as one of the finest doctoral dissertations he had read by an Indian scholar. He observed that works of such quality often get published as books within a few years of submission, citing examples such as Subalterns and Sovereigns by Nandini Sundar and Fencing the Forest by Mahesh Rangarajan, both of which emerged from doctoral research.
He added that other historians like Bhavani Raman, Aditya Balasubramanian, Nikhil Menon, and Dinyar Patel also saw their doctoral dissertations turn into acclaimed books soon after completion.
Guha then revealed that the remarkable thesis he was praising had been submitted in 2018 by Dr Umar Khalid. However, despite its merit, it has not yet been published as a book because its author has been in prison for more than five years without bail or formal charges.
Guha stated that he has never met Umar Khalid but recalled that both of them had participated in separate peaceful protests in December 2019 against what he described as a discriminatory law, Khalid in Delhi and Guha in Bengaluru. Reflecting on the contrast between their lives since then, Guha wondered if his freedom to continue research and writing was because his name is Ramachandra and not Umar.
Towards the end of the piece, Guha broadened his reflection beyond Khalid, pointing out that many upright Indians scholars, activists, and social workers are facing prolonged imprisonment on questionable charges filed by authorities acting under political pressure. These individuals, he said, have always stood for non-violence and upheld the core values of the Indian Constitution, yet find themselves targeted by what he called “authoritarian and majoritarian tendencies of the ruling regime.”
He lamented that these individuals are spending the best years of their lives behind bars when they could be contributing to the progress of the Republic. Guha concluded his column by urging the judiciary to show both decency and courage to restore their freedom.
Disclaimer: The above report is based entirely on historian Ramachandra Guha’s article A Life Aborted, published in The Telegraph on November 1, 2025.
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Private bus operators in Karnataka to hike fares by 20-30 pc after fuel price rise
Bengaluru (PTI): In the wake of the hike in fuel prices, private bus operators have decided to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, effective from Friday midnight.
They have also called for government subsidies, a reduction in cess, and lower road taxes to improve the situation.
"The situation for bus owners in the state is already distressing due to high road tax and the impact of the Shakti scheme (free bus travel for women in government buses). On top of this, fuel prices have increased," Karnataka State Bus Owners’ Association President S Nataraj Sharma said.
"This will impose a burden of Rs 15,000 per vehicle per month on bus owners. If an owner has three buses, the burden will be Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 per month," he added.
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Speaking to reporters, he said the situation has made it inevitable for owners to increase fares by 20-30 per cent, depending on the route, under current conditions.
The increase may be roughly Rs 200 per seat, he added.
"For example, the current bus fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is around Rs 1,000–Rs 1,200, which is likely to rise to Rs 1,350–Rs 1,400. Similarly, fares from Bengaluru to Mangaluru or Udupi currently range from Rs 900–Rs 1,000 and are expected to go up to Rs 1,100–Rs 1,200," he said.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
