Thinking Indian: Scientific Endeavour and National Identity | Jaipur Literature Festival 2026

Thinking Indian: Scientific Endeavour and National Identity | J. Nandakumar in conversation with Makarand Paranjape

A session that challenges the dominant impression that meaningful scientific progress in India began only under British rule. In National Selfhood in Science, RSS ideologue J. Nandakumar examines the role of scientific pursuit in India during the colonial era. He traces the country’s longstanding and uncontested and uncontested achievements across scientific fields and the contributions by Indian scientists in advancing knowledge despite systemic discrimination. In conversation with Makarand Paranjape, he reflects on the ways in which scientific endeavour contributed to knowledge systems and national identity.

J. Nandakumar is a prominent thinker, writer, and public intellectual rooted in Bharatiya ethos and traditions. He currently serves as the All India Convener of Prajna Pravaha, a nationwide intellectual movement. Born into a modest middle-class family in Kerala, he completed his Automobile Engineering degree in 1984 before dedicating his life to full-time RSS work as a Pracharak. A powerful orator, prolific writer, and noted Malayalam poet, he has contributed extensively to intellectual and cultural discourse. He also served for over five years as Chief Editor of Kesari Weekly, one of Kerala’s most respected Malayalam magazines.

Makarand R. Paranjape is a distinguished scholar, writer, and public intellectual. He served for nearly twenty-five years as Professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and was Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. Author or editor of over fifty books and hundreds of academic papers, he is also a poet, novelist, and columnist. His recent books include Hindutva and Hind Swaraj: History’s Forgotten Doubles (2025), Mahatma Gandhi: Mrityu aur Punarutthan (2024), The Penguin Sri Aurobindo Reader (2023), and Identity’s Last Secret (2022). He is currently Sri Aurobindo Chair (Honorary) at Vedere University and Director of Education at Access Health Care Physicians, Florida.

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