History Professor Sekhar Bandyopadhyay retires
Widely recognised as “the leading figure” in the development of research and teaching on South Asia in the past twenty-five years, Professor Bandyopadhyay’s scholarly accomplishments throughout his career have only been matched by his commitment to service, to mentorship and support for both colleagues and students.
Professor Bandyopadhyay arrived at Victoria University of Wellington in 1992, having completed his PhD in History at the University of Calcutta, where he also then taught. A visiting fellowship to SOAS University of London led to his successful application for a role lecturing in Indian history at Wellington with the support of now Emeritus Professor Peter Robb (alumnus of Victoria University of Wellington). He was promoted to Professor of Asian History in 2007 and from there took on a series of senior roles in the School and Faculty: Head of School in 2008 and again from 2016 to 2018; Associate Dean (Research) from 2004 to 2007; and Deputy Dean from 2009 to 2011. He has also served as the Director of the New Zealand India Research Institute since the end of 2012 (and will continue to do so throughout 2020).
Professor Bandyopadhyay’s primary research interests lie in the history of nationalism and the caste system in colonial and postcolonial India, as well as decolonisation, the Indian community in New Zealand, and, more recently, Partition, refugees, and violence. His general history of India, From Plassey to Partition: A History of Modern India (2004, 2015), has been described by the prominent historian Ramachandra Guha as “the best and most objective account of the period by any historian”; it remains one of the most popular books on the subject available.
Dr Rick Weiss of the School of Social and Cultural Studies outlined Professor Bandyopadhyay’s academic achievements at his retirement function. He lauded Sekhar’s “extraordinary versatility as a scholar,” which he believes features both an impressive attention to detail and a deep humaneness, seen, for example, in his work on the violence and struggles faced by refugees around Partition.
Professor Jennifer Windsor, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Humanities and Social Sciences and Education, spoke of the positive effect of Sekhar’s academic reputation on the Faculty and wider University: “Your name is one of the first that comes to mind when people talk of the University, and rightly so. You leave a legacy—collectively, we are who we are today in part because of your efforts for the last many years.” She also thanked him for his leadership within the Faculty, which she characterised as “smart, dedicated, disciplined, calm, humorous, and creative.”
Professor Charlotte Macdonald of the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations acknowledged the “overwhelming esteem” in which Professor Bandyopadhyay is held by his colleagues, friends, students, and former students. She announced that from 2020, the History programme will be offering an annual prize for the best essay in postcolonial, South Asian and related studies—to be known as the Sekhar Bandyopadhyay Prize.
A series of tributes to Professor Bandyopadhyay has poured in not only from his History colleagues but from his peers and friends around the world, many of whom have expressed surety that his retirement was only a ‘soft’ one. And Sekhar indeed confirmed that his retirement is simply an opportunity to allow him to focus more on what he loves—research.
And so we wish Professor Bandyopadhyay—or ‘Sekhar-da’ as many of his friends refer to him—a well-deserved and very productive retirement!