Ideas of India Narayani Basu on K. M. Panikkar: India’s Impossible Man
Aug 28, 2025
Narayani Basu, a historian and author of 'A Man for All Seasons: The Life of K. M. Panikkar', dives deep into the life of this fascinating figure. She discusses Panikkar's role in the Indian nationalist movement and his intricate relationship with China in the 1950s. The conversation touches on his ideological complexities, including his views on Zionism and communism. Basu also examines the impact of historical traumas on India's identity and the challenges of integrating princely states into a unified nation.
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A Life Too Big For One Label
- K. M. Panikkar resisted easy categorization because he inhabited multiple roles: writer, diplomat, administrator, and nationalist across five decades.
- His intellectual and creative breadth made a single elevator-pitch biography almost impossible.
Princely States As Federal Laboratories
- Panikkar shifted from sneering at princely rulers to arguing they could be crucial laboratories for regional identity and federal experimentation.
- His direct Chamber of Princes experience shaped a pragmatic federalism that evolved across the 1930s and 1940s.
From Confederacy To Strong Federation
- Experience of factionalism and historical rivalries among princes pushed Panikkar toward support for a stronger central executive.
- He saw democratization and central power as necessary to prevent chaos and secure the princely states' futures.
