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Download PDF of IHC First Circular

Indian History Congress
(Established, 1935)

Prof. Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi
Secretary

 

Date: 08/05/2025

Room No. 29
Centre of Advanced Study, Department of History
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh – 202002
Email: ihc.secretary23@gmail.com

EIGHTY-FOURTH SESSION

Government Brennen College, Dharmadam, Thalassery, Kannur (Kerala)

28–30 December 2025

FIRST CIRCULAR

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the 84th session of the Indian History Congress is scheduled to take place from the 28th to 30th of December, 2025, at Government Brennen College, Dharmadam, Thalassery, Kannur, Kerala. I am confident that all our esteemed members, as well as those in the process of applying for membership, will be able to make their travel arrangements promptly upon receiving this circular. Moreover, please note that this information has been made available on our official website: www.indianhistorycongress.com .

Dr. Vinodan Navath, the Local Secretary of the Eighty-Fourth Session, will be subsequently sending his circular regarding the arrangements at Thalassery (Kannur) and the Delegate fee. He may be contacted by email at vinodhistgcm@brennencollege.ac.in .

The following will be the General President, Sectional Presidents, Office-bearers, and Members of the Executive Committee at the 84th session.

President: Professor Rajan Gurukkal (Kerala) will take over from Professor Gautam Sengupta (Former DG ASI), General President of the 83rd Session. 

SECTIONAL PRESIDENTS

I. Ancient India

Professor Nupur Dasgupta (Kolkata)

II. Medieval India

Professor Sunita Sharma (Patna)

III. Modern India

Professor Rakesh Batabyal (Delhi)

 

IV. Countries Other than India

Professor A.K. Ramakrishnan (Delhi)

V. Archaeology

Professor S.K. Acharya (Cuttack)

VI. Contemporary India

Professor Prabhat Shukla (Delhi)

 

OFFICE-BEARERS

President

Professor Rajan Gurukkal (Kerala)

Vice Presidents

Professor Aditya Mukherjee (Delhi)

 

Professor Shireen Moosvi (Aligarh)

Secretary

Professor Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi (Aligarh)

Treasurer

Professor Syed Jabir Raza (Aligarh)

Joint Secretaries

Professor Manvendra Kumar Pundhir (Aligarh)

[Permanent Office]

 

Professor Raj Sekhar Basu (Kolkata)

MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Professor Irfan Habib (Aligarh)

Professor Sajal Nag (Guwahati)

Professor Devendra Ingle (Maharashtra)

Professor Tejimala Gurang (Shillong)

Professor Dayanand Roy (Bhagalpur)

Professor Suchandra Ghosh (Hyderabad)

Professor Shameem Akhtar (Aligarh)

Dr. R. Venkataramanujam (Chennai)

Professor Kesavan Veluthat (Kerala)

Dr. Kishori Lal Chandel (Shimla)

Professor L.K. Mishra (Cuttack)

Professor Mukesh Kumar (Bodhgaya)

Professor Nagendra Sharma (Delhi)

Professor S.Z.H. Jafri (Lucknow)

Professor Amarkant Singh (Bihar)

Professor K. M. Shrimali (Delhi)

Professor Muhammad Idris (Patiala)

Professor S. Srinath (Hyderabad)

Professor Arpita Sen (Santiniketan)

Professor Sarbani Gooptu (Kolkata)

RENEWAL ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP

  • The facility of membership renewal is for a delegate who enrolled as an ordinary member in any previous session of the Indian History Congress.
  • A delegate seeking to renew membership for the 84th session is advised to exclusively utilise the online form accessible on the official website of the Indian History Congress. Please note that no offline method of application and payment for membership will be accepted or entertained.

(Note: Kindly read carefully the guidelines and documentary requirements provided at the beginning of the online form)

  • The Renewal Membership Fee for the 84th session is ₹500/- (excluding the payment gateway charges).
  • The option to proceed with payment will be accessible to delegates at the final stage of the online form. At this stage, they will be prompted to provide their billing details for the transaction.
  • Accepted payment methods include UPI/QR Code, Debit/Credit Card, Net-Banking, and Digital Wallets (any other form of payment method will be rejected).
  • An application for membership renewal will be considered complete only upon successful payment of the membership fee. Following the successful submission of the application, the Secretary’s office will conduct a review of the provided details before issuing the Renewal Membership Receipt via email.

(Note: It is advised to ensure the accuracy of the provided details and documents. In the event that any discrepancies are identified during or after the review process, your application may be rejected, and the membership fee forfeited.)

  • The deadline for membership renewal is midnight on November 30, 2025.

In the event of a delay in the submission of the membership fee, members have the option to avail on-site registration at the 84th session of the Indian History Congress to participate as delegates. It is important to note that individuals opting for on-site registration will not be permitted to vote in the election of the Executive Committee.

Redirect to Renewal Ordinary Membership Form

INITIAL ORDINARY MEMBERSHIP

  • Anyone wishing to enrol as an ordinary member for the first time must complete the online Initial Membership form available on the official website. Please note that no offline method of application and payment for membership will be accepted or entertained.

(Note: Kindly read carefully the guidelines, eligibility criteria, and documentary requirements provided at the beginning of the online form)

  • Please ensure that all the information and documentary requirements requested in the Initial Membership Form are provided. Please note that the documents required from students of history and/or archaeology may differ from those of subjects allied to history, as detailed in the guidelines provided at the beginning of the form.
  • The Initial Membership Fee for the 84th session is ₹500/- (excluding the payment gateway charges).
  • The option to proceed with payment will be accessible to applicants at the final stage of the online form. At this stage, they will be prompted to provide their billing details for the transaction.
  • Accepted payment methods include UPI/QR Code, Debit/Credit Card, Net-Banking, and Digital Wallets (any other form of payment method will be rejected).
  • The deadline for the application to Initial Membership is midnight on October 31, 2025.

Redirect to Initial Ordinary Membership Form

LIFE MEMBERSHIP

  • The option for Life Membership is for the ordinary members renewing their annual memberships from three consecutive years.
  • An eligible member wishing to obtain Life Membership is advised to exclusively utilise the online form accessible on the official website of the Indian History Congress. Please note that no offline method of application and payment for membership will be accepted or entertained.

(Note: Kindly read carefully the guidelines, eligibility criteria, and documentary requirements provided at the beginning of the online form)

  • The Life Membership Fee for the 84th session is ₹7500/- (excluding the payment gateway charges), payable in one sum for the lifetime.
  • The option to proceed with payment will be accessible to applicants at the final stage of the online form. At this stage, they will be prompted to provide their billing details for the transaction.
  • Accepted payment methods include UPI/QR Code, Debit/Credit Card, Net-Banking, and Digital Wallets (any other form of payment method will be rejected).
  • The deadline for the application to Life Membership is midnight on the October 31, 2025.

Redirect to Life Membership Form

INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP

Academic institutions have the opportunity to become members or renew their membership by paying ₹5000/- for the annual session. They are entitled to depute a representative to participate in the session and receive the Proceedings volume. Please note that no offline method of application and payment for membership will be accepted or entertained.

(Note: Kindly read carefully the guidelines, eligibility criteria, and documentary requirements provided at the beginning of the online form)

  • Institutions which enrolled as members in any previous session of the Indian History Congress should fill the Renewal Institutional Membership Form, available on the official website.
  • The documents required to Renewal Institutional Membership are specified in the guidelines at the beginning of the online form.
  • The option to proceed with payment will be accessible to such institutions at the final stage of the online form. At this stage, they will be prompted to provide their billing details for the transaction.
  • Accepted payment methods include UPI/QR Code, Debit/Credit Card, Net-Banking, and Digital Wallets (any other form of payment method will be rejected).
  • Institutions not yet members but interested in membership are encouraged to first complete the Initial Institutional Membership form, available on the official website.
  • The documents required for Initial Institutional Membership are specified in the guidelines at the beginning of the online form.
  • The submitted application will undergo review by the office of the Secretary, Indian History Congress. Upon approval from the Secretary, the applicant institution will receive notification regarding the payment of membership fees via its official email address.
  • The deadline for the application to Institutional Membership is midnight on November 30, 2025.

Redirect to Renewal Institutional Membership

Redirect to Initial Institutional Membership 

NOTE

  • Once payment is completed, the Indian History Congress will not issue refunds under any circumstances. Therefore, all applicants are urged to thoroughly review the application form before applying for Renewal, Initial, Life, or Institutional membership.
  • All applications are subject to approval by the Secretary of the Indian History Congress. The Secretary retains the final decision-making authority regarding the issuance of membership to any applicants.

For queries, reach us at: ihc.secretary23@gmail.com

PAPERS FOR THE SESSION

There are six sections in the annual session of the Indian History Congress, where papers will be presented simultaneously, namely:

I. Ancient India

II. Medieval India

III. Modern India

IV. Countries other than India

V. Archaeology

VI. Contemporary India (covers the period since 1947)

Note: Every copy of the paper submitted for Presentation at the 84th session, should bear the following details:

  1. Name(s) of the Author(s)
  2. AM/LM Number(s) of the Author(s)
  3. Email ID (prefer personal email-id)
  4. Place of Work/Residence
  5. Section in which the member wishes to present the paper
  6. Title of the Paper
  7. Nomination for the Best Prize (optional) [Age Limit: 45 years]

Members are kindly requested to submit their papers only through the PAPER SUBMISSION PORTAL on the official website (the portal will open on 15th October, 2025). Once a paper is submitted, it will be treated as the final submission, and multiple submissions of the same paper will result in its rejection. Papers received by midnight on the 10th of December, 2025, will only be listed for presentation during the session. Papers submitted after the specified deadline will not be considered for presentation. No supplementary list of papers will be issued under any circumstances. On-spot paper submissions at the IHC session venue will not be accepted. Each member is permitted to submit only one paper in one section and a maximum of two papers in two different sections, either as an author or a co-author. (Members must read the detailed guidelines regarding the requirements and eligibility of paper submission in the Paper Submission Portal)

Please keep in mind the following additional points when submitting papers:

  1. Papers must be written in English, word-processed, and double-spaced. The paper should be uploaded only in WORD (.doc/.docx) file format. Please refrain from submitting hard copies or uploading the soft copy of the paper in PDF format.
  2. Word limit: 3500 words (including endnotes). Any paper exceeding the word limit will not be eligible for inclusion in the Proceedings. The paper submitted should be in Times New Roman font, font size 12, double-spaced.
  3. References should be double-spaced and placed at the end of the paper, numbered continuously throughout the entire document (not per page).
  4. When referencing printed books, the conventional system should be followed: Author’s name, Title of the book, Place of publication, and Year of publication, in that sequence. For well-known journal abbreviations such as JIH, JASB, JRAS, EI, IHR, IESHR, and JESHO, utilise them without further clarification. Forms like ‘ibid.’ and ‘op. cit.’ are recommended for conciseness.
  5. Transliteration should be consistent and adhere to one of the standard systems. Diacritical marks are necessary for papers submitted to Sections I and II.
  6. If maps, diagrams, and photographs are provided, they should be limited in number and prepared in a format ready/suitable for printing.
  7. A HARD COPY of the paper must be submitted by the member at the time of the presentation to the President of the section.
Note: A List of Papers will be accessible online on the IHC website by the 15th of December, 2025, allowing delegates of the 84th session to verify the inclusion of their names. There will be no supplementary list of papers for the papers submitted after the deadline. Every effort will be made to incorporate all papers recommended for publication by the Sectional Presidents and referees into the printed volume of the Proceedings. However, the editors’ decision will be final. Due to space constraints, the selection may be limited, and individual papers may be edited and shortened. Members are kindly requested to understand and cooperate with this process.

ANNOUNCEMENT

We are pleased to inform our members that the Proceedings of the Indian History Congress (PIHC) is included in the University Grants Commission-Care List. Moreover, we would like to remind our members that past volumes of PIHC are accessible in the online JSTOR archive. They can be consulted online at: https://www.jstor.org/journal/procindihistcong.

Selected back issues of the PIHC can also be purchased by delegates from Primus Books.

PRIZES FOR BOOKS

In the academic session 2025, the Indian History Congress will award the following book prizes:

  1. The Mohammad Habib Memorial Prize is awarded for the best book on Medieval Indian History published in the years 2024 and 2025. It carries the award money of ₹25,000/-.
  2. The Braj Dev Prasad Memorial Prize is awarded for the best book on Ancient Indian History, published in the years 2024 and 2025. It carries the award money of ₹25,000/-.
  3. The Sneh Mahajan Award is awarded for the best book on Modern Indian History, published in the years 2024 and 2025. It carries the award money of ₹25,000/-.

Note: Members and Publishers can propose books for consideration for the above prizes by sending a copy of the book to the Secretary, Indian History Congress, Room No. 29, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh – 202002 before November 15.

PRIZES FOR BEST PAPERS

The Indian History Congress awards a number of prizes for Best Papers at each of its sessions. Participants who are not above the age of 45 years can nominate their papers in the appropriate category. To be considered, papers must be submitted before the notified last date (10th December 2025), and proof of age (copy of Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, Passport page, or High School Certificate) must be attached to the submitted papers. It is important to note that there is no age restriction for Prize No. 9.

    1. Professor Vijay Kumar Thakur Memorial Prize, ₹10,000/- for the best paper submitted for Section I (Ancient India).
    2. Professor J.S. Grewal Prize, ₹10,000/- for the best paper submitted for Section II (Medieval India).
    3. Professor Partha Sarathi Gupta Memorial Prize, ₹10,000/- for the best paper submitted for Section III (Modern India).
    4. Professor J.C. Jha Memorial Prize, ₹5,000/- for the best paper submitted for Section III (Modern India).
    5. Professor J. C. Jha Memorial Prize, ₹ 5,000/- for the best paper submitted for Section IV (Countries other than India).
    6. Professor Sudhir Ranjan Das Memorial Prize, ₹10,000/- for the best paper submitted for Section V (Archaeology).
    7. Professor Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize, ₹10,000/- for the best paper submitted for Section VI (Contemporary India).
    8. Professor B.B. Chaudhuri Prize, ₹10,000/- for the best paper submitted on Economic and Social History of India (Ancient, Medieval and Modern).
    9. Dr I.G. Khan Memorial Prize, ₹15,000/- for the best paper submitted on History of Science and Technology (No age bar).
    10. Dr Nasreen Ahmad Memorial Prize, ₹7,500/- for the best paper on Gender History.
    11. Professor O.P. Jaiswal Prize, ₹7,500/- for the best paper submitted on the Indian National Movement.
    12. Dr Gyaneshwari Jaiswal Memorial Prize, ₹7,500/- for the best paper based on Archival/Epigraphic data
    13. Dr Prasanna Kumar Biswal Memorial Prize, ₹1,500/- for a paper on Freedom Movement.

To be considered for any of the prizes mentioned above, a member must indicate on the submitted paper, next to the title, the award/s for which it is to be considered. Moreover, they should attach a document as proof of age (except for no. 9), along with the submission.

NOTE: While a member can nominate their paper for multiple awards, only one award may be granted for their paper.

The announcement and conferment of prizes for papers submitted at the 83rd session will take place during the 84th session.

PROCEEDINGS VOLUME

It is anticipated that the printed volume of the Proceedings of the 83rd session (held at Punjabi University, Patiala) will be prepared in the form of a limited printed copy for free distribution to its members who were registered at the 83rd session.

The Indian History Congress is the principal professional organisation of Indian historians, which, for the last ninety years, has consistently advocated for the advancement of rational and scientific enquiry, and has promoted the professional interests of historians as educators and researchers. Its success in pursuit of these objectives depends entirely on your support for this organisation and its cause.

Looking forward to meeting you at Government Brennen College, Dharmadam, Thalassery, Kannur, Kerala.

With warm regards and best wishes,

Yours Sincerely,

(Prof. Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi)

Secretary, Indian History Congress

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