Sharma was undergoing treatment at a private hospital where he breathed last.
The moral remains of R S Sharma was consigned to flames here at Bansgaht on the embankment of river Ganga on Sunday evening….Professor Sharma’s death marks the end of an era in Indian historiography and it has created a void in the academia.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief at the demise of the renowned historian and said
that Sharma will be remembered for his academic achievement.
Born in a village near Barauni in Bihar’s Begusarai district, Sharma was a historian of international repute.
He taught ancient and early medieval history of India at Patna University, Delhi University and the University of Toronto. He wrote 115 books which have been published in 15 languages around the world.
He was the founding chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research.
After his retirement from Delhi University, Sharma returned to Patna and spent his life here.
Controversies always surrounded him. In 1977 his book ‘Ancient India’ was banned by the Janata Party government in 1978, among other things for its criticism of the historicity of Krishna and the events of the Mahabharata epic, reporting the historical position.
He also supported the addition of the Ayodhya dispute and the 2002 Gujarat riots to school syllabus calling them ‘socially relevant topics’ to broaden the horizons of youngsters. This was his remark when the NCERT decided to include the Gujarat riots and the Ayodhya dispute besides the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the Class XII political science books, arguing that these events influenced the political process in the country since Independence.
According to him, after attaining the age of 15 years, students should be allowed to make their own choices as far as selecting books is concerned.
“Students who have attained the age of 15 years can think for themselves. There should not be any restriction on any books,” he said.
“Each student has a right to study a series of books and reports having diverse views on contemporary and socially relevant issues to understand a situation in a scientific manner.