NLS Faculty Dr. Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav to Speak at History Literature Festival

Dr. Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav, Assistant Professor, Social Science, NLSIU will be speaking at the third edition of the History Literature Festival (HLF) on March 2, 2025. She will be part of a panel on ‘An Indian Renaissance: Vivekananda and Lajpat Rai’ with independent journalist Govind Krishnan and Pushkar Sohoni, Associate Professor – Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). The conversation will touch on the themes of ‘Hindu-ness,’ ‘nationalism’ and more.

About the speaker

Dr. Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav is an intellectual historian of modern South Asia. She is interested in nationalism and secularism, and religious and political thought in general.

About the talk

Vanya will be speaking about her first book, ‘Being Hindu, Being Indian: Lala Lajpat Rai’s Ideas of Nationhood,’ which was published with Penguin Random House India in February 2024. Based on her doctoral research, the book examines the nationalist thought of Lala Lajpat Rai, and highlights the internal differentiation within ‘Hindu nationalism’. It also covers the themes of religion, majoritarianism, secularism and caste.

Vanya’s book has been longlisted for the 2024 Crossword Book Award (Non-fiction) and 2024 Literature Live Best First Book Award (Non-fiction).

Register for the festival here.

About HLF

The History Literature Festival is a platform for diverse fields and voices to converge to share civilisational stories. It is designed to create spaces for historians, authors and attendees to immerse in and engage more closely with our shared history.

The Festival weaves together intimate baithaks, discussions, musical concerts and installations to bring history to life. (Source: historylitfest.com)