JNU asks historian, professor for 6 decades Romila Thapar to produce CV

Mumbai: Historian and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor Romila Thapar has been asked to submit her curriculum vitae (CV) for her professor emerita status at JNU.

Thapar was asked by JNU to produce her CV to decide if she can continue as professor emerita.

JNU registrar Pramod Kumar wrote to Thapar last month asking her to submit her CV so that a committee could evaluate her work and decide whether she should continue as professor emerita, The Telegraph reported.

Thapar, who has been a teacher and researcher for six decades was a professor at JNU from 1970-1991.

In 1993, she was chosen professor emerita. She is the recipient of the prestigious Kluge Prize of the US Library of Congress, which honours lifetime achievement in studies not covered by the Nobel Prize.

Since there is no financial benefit involved for emeritus professors and they are not asked to show their CVs, senior members of the faculty expressed shock.

They said that an academic continues in the post for life once they are chosen.

Some even claim that this was a politically motivated action.

Academics of international repute are chosen for this post. The process involves the institute from which the professor has retires to suggest his name. It is then cleared by the respective board of studies and the university's academic and executive councils.