New Delhi: Eminent Marxist historian Sumit Sarkar passed away at a private hospital in New Delhi on Thursday (August 13) after prolonged illness. He was 87. One of the leading scholars of Modern Indian History, Sarkar, taught at University of Delhi and was a Fellow of Wolfson College, London.His book, The Swadeshi Movement in Bengal, 1903-1908 (1973), is considered a seminal study of the nationalist movement in Bengal. His other notable works are A Critique of Colonial India (1985), Modern India (1989), Khaki Shorts and Saffron Flags: A Critique of the Hindu Right (1993), Writing Social History (1998), Beyond Nationalist Frames: Postmodernism, Hindu Fundamentalism, History (2002). Sarkar’s books looked at nationalism beyond the widely recognised figures and threw light on wider groups, socio-economic processes, popular struggles and social conditions that shaped it.Sarkar was born in Kolkata in 1939. His father Susobhan Chandra Sarkar taught History at Presidency College, Calcutta University and Jadavpur University. Sarkar’s maternal uncle was eminent statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis.He studied BA (Honours) in History at Presidency College in Kolkata and completed his Master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Calcutta.Sarkar’s last rites will be performed on Saturday (August 15) at 4.30 pm in Green Park, Delhi.On X, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh wrote, “Sumit Sarkar who has just passed away was a true guru to a generation of students who exemplified formidable scholarship with a superb writing style. The son of a great guru himself, his research, books, essays, and lectures spanned a wide canvas of modern India’s history.”“He was an outstanding academic historian who was a genuine public intellectual as well in the best sense of the term – firm in his views but gentle in his manner. He authored many classics of which two are my own favourities and have educated a non-historian like me hugely,” he added.Further, Ramesh called Sarkar “a titan” and underlined that he will sorely be missed as “the tribe of distorians and history-quacks proliferates”.Sumit Sarkar who has just passed away was a true guru to a generation of students who exemplified formidable scholarship with a superb writing style. The son of a great guru himself, his research, books, essays, and lectures spanned a wide canvas of modern India’s history.He… pic.twitter.com/uuEmzi3gkC— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 14, 2026Paying tribute to Sarkar, author Nilanjana Roy said that Sarkar explored history as “a democratic project”.“Historian, writer, great believer in pluralism, staunchly anti-fascist: what a legacy he left behind. He explored history as a democratic project, where the small happenings, the little rebellions, the courage and struggles of ordinary Indians were as important as what the intellectuals and great leaders thought,” Roy wrote on X.She added, “But what is the nation? Is it a map or a flag, or is it living, suffering, dying, struggling human beings? It is this kind of nationalism that I think is useful both for human beings and for history.”Sumit Sarkar, 1939-2026Historian, writer, great believer in pluralism, staunchly anti-fascist: what a legacy he left behind. He explored history as a democratic project, where the small happenings, the little rebellions, the courage and struggles of ordinary Indians were as… pic.twitter.com/kQRjhRrBgL— Nilanjana Roy 📚🦊 (@nilanjanaroy) August 13, 2026Lamenting that he could never be his student, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha wrote on X, “I still remember your description of Gandhi walking through Noakhali while the nation was celebrating Independence. That image has stayed with me not merely as a moment in history, but as a reminder of what it means to inhabit history with moral courage.”“And how can one forget your understanding of Gandhi as someone who did not seek to make everyone think alike, but created an “umbrella” under which people who did not think alike could struggle together. That idea, like so much of your work, continues to speak to our present. You wrote the history of modern India not as a dead chronicle of events, but as a living history of contradictions, conflicts, aspirations and the many layers of our society. In doing so, you enriched our understanding of India and taught generations of readers to look at the past with greater honesty and complexity,” Jha mentioned.Dear Sumit Sir,Bye-bye from this world.I could not be your student, but I had the privilege of listening to you, meeting you and, above all, reading your work.I still remember your description of Gandhi walking through Noakhali while the nation was celebrating Independence.… pic.twitter.com/8eeJP5i3rj— Manoj Kumar Jha (@manojkjhadu) August 13, 2026Similarly, noted historian S. Irfan Habib wrote, “Heard about Prof Sumit Sarkar’s passing . One of our most eminent, insightful and sensitive historians of modern India. He wrote extensively on issues of modern India, his two iconic books The Swadeshi Movement and Modern India remain all time classics. For me personally, he held a special place being one of the examiners of my thesis on Bhagat Singh and his comrades in 1981. My sincere condolences to Prof Tanika Sarkar and his innumerable students and friends.”Heard about Prof Sumit Sarkar’s passing . One of our most eminent, insightful and sensitive historians of modern India. He wrote extensively on issues of modern India, his two iconic books The Swadeshi Movement and Modern India remain all time classics. For me personally, he held…— S lrfan Habib एस इरफान हबीब عرفان حبئب (@irfhabib) August 14, 2026In an elaborate post on X, Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D. Raja said Sarkar’s “scholarship brought class, caste, community, gender and the experiences of ordinary people into the understanding of modern Indian history”.“Sumit Sarkar was also deeply associated with the progressive and Marxist intellectual tradition in India and had a long association with the Communist Party of India. His rigorous scholarship, critical approach to established historical narratives and steadfast commitment to secularism, democracy and social justice enriched the country’s intellectual life. He was an important voice against communal and majoritarian interpretations of Indian history and remained committed to a rational, critical and people-centred understanding of the past. His writings and intellectual interventions will continue to influence generations of students, historians and progressive thinkers,” he added.Further he mentioned, “The CPI pays its respectful homage to the memory of Sumit Sarkar and acknowledges his immense contribution to Indian historiography and the progressive intellectual movement. The party conveys its heartfelt condolences to Prof. Tanika Sarkar, his family, colleagues, students and the countless admirers of his scholarship and intellectual contributions. His passing is a profound loss to the academic community, the progressive movement and all those committed to defending India’s secular, democratic and plural traditions.”CPI Condoles the Demise of Sumit SarkarThe Communist Party of India deeply mourns the passing of Sumit Sarkar, eminent historian of modern India and distinguished Marxist scholar, at the age of 87. With a long and illustrious academic career at the University of Calcutta and… pic.twitter.com/zZfDAPsQ9d— D. Raja (@ComradeDRaja) August 14, 2026Former Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar wrote on Facebook, “Sumit Sarkar, the Marxist, never minced words — neither at nationalist historical studies that were open to question nor at the Communist Party. His last famous tick-off of Subaltern historians is the stuff of legends. May his soul find peace.”Journalist Ravish Kumar remembered, “I had the chance to attend Prof. Sumit Sarkar’s class. The entire class would be packed. He never entered like a professor. He always came into the class like a shy student surrounded by questions. He would stand humbly before his class. The canvas of history would deepen, and amid the flow of scholarship, he would suddenly check, through little stops of sarcasm, whether the class’s attention was there or not. If the attention wandered, you’d miss both the sarcasm and the lecture. Sumit spoke slowly.”“The range of his knowledge stretched like the Himalayas, yet he never imposed himself. He never let on through his demeanour that we were sitting in the class of a great historian. Students who had passed through his classes had already become major historians by then, and many from our batch after his class went on to become major historians,” he added.Further, calling Sarkar’s teacher style “Gandhian” and “democratic”, Kumar wrote on X, “Being Sumit’s student was medal-worthy in itself. In DU, being a student in the classes of Sumit, Sunil, Gyan, and Shahid turned memories of student life into something joyful. The country has lost not just a brilliant historian but an outstanding teacher. We’ve lost that dear teacher who moved slowly alongside an infinite treasury of knowledge, teaching every day. May every student life bring such a teacher. Salute to his rich academic life journey.”