K. N. Panikkar , historian, served as the Professor of Modern Indian History at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Prior to joining JNU, he taught at University of Delhi. A former Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kerala, a former Chairman of the Kerala Council for Historical Research, and Founding Executive Vice-Chairman, Higher Education Council of Kerala, he is well known for his work on intellectual and cultural history of colonial India.