The University of Mumbai (MU) is all set to host the 73rd Indian History Congress (IHC) from December 28-30 at its Vidyanagri Campus in Kalina.
The IHC, which comes to Mumbai after 32 years, will see nearly 2,000 delegates and historians present a selection of papers written by them.
According to university officials, elaborate arrangements have been made to host the event as well as provide accommodation for the delegates who will be coming from different parts of the country.
Announcing the programme, Dr Rajan Welukar, vice-chancellor, University of Mumbai said that it was indeed a great opportunity not only for students pursuing under-graduate and post-graduate studies in history at the university but even for the common man to get a whiff of the history of the country through lectures and exhibits.
“The IHC had been asking for the event to be hosted by the MU for the past 15 years but it did not happen. However, this year we decided that the university would go ahead and offer its services to host the prestigious event,” said Dr Welukar.
Throwing light on the events, Dr Welukar said that governor K Sankaranarayanan and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar will attend the inauguration function. “The inauguration will be in line with the event and will be something that the university has never done or seen so far. It will take everyone by surprise,” said Dr Welukar. He, however, refused to divulge further details saying that it would spoil the surprise.
Talking about debates and discussions on controversial topics at the event, Dr Welukar said that the itinerary of the programme was prepared by the IHC and hence the university could only ask for inclusion of such topics if it was not included in the schedule.
“We have a segment of symposia and a lecture wherein the speakers and panelists have the freedom to decide on the topic. We are not aware of what they will deal with,” said Prof. S.Z.H. Jafri, secretary, IHC who was also present during the announcement.
Apart from the above there will also be 117 exhibits showcasing Indian history in pictorial format and there will be books on the same topic by different authors for display as well as sale. “Common people can visit the exhibitions and get a peek into Indian history,” said Dr Welukar.