Professor Rakesh Batabyal is a Professor at the Centre for Media Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. His academic journey began at St. Xavier’s College, Ranchi, followed by advanced studies at JNU’s Centre for Historical Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Modern History with a thesis titled Communalism in Bengal: From Famine to Noakhali (1943–47) in 1996. His M.Phil. and M.A. degrees in Modern History were also completed at JNU in 1993 and 1991, respectively.

Professor Batabyal’s research interests encompass the history and theories of media, nationalism, communalism, media ethics, violence, rhetoric, propaganda, and the study of museums and archives. He has a particular focus on East and Central European media, as well as the cultural aspects of food, dress, and home, with a historical perspective on famine.

His notable publications include Communalism in Bengal: From Famine to Noakhali (1943–47) and The Penguin Book of Modern Indian Speeches. In 2015, he authored JNU: The Making of a University, a comprehensive history of JNU from its inception in 1964 to 1989. The book, based on extensive archival research and interviews, explores the university’s evolution and its role in India’s intellectual landscape.

Professor Batabyal has held several academic positions, including Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla (1996–1999), Associate Professor and Deputy Director at JNU’s Academic Staff College (2000–2015), and Associate Professor at the Centre for Media Studies since 2014. He has also been a Resident Researcher at the University of Vienna (2022), Visiting Foreign Scholar at Kansai University, Osaka (2019), and India Chair at the Graduate School of Information Studies, Tokyo University (2010).

Professor Batabyal’s contributions to academia have been recognised through various awards and honours, including grants from the Indian Council for World Affairs and invitations to editorial boards and international fellowships. His work continues to influence the fields of media studies and modern Indian history.