Prof. R. K. Khanna

R. K. Khanna is presently the Head of the Department of the Post Graduate Department of History, D. A. V. College, Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India, affliated to Punjab University, Chandigarh. His full name is Rajneesh Kumar Khanna. He is in teaching profession for the last 22 years. He is author of five major text books which cover the History of India for +1 level, History of Punjab, History of Ancient India, History of Mughal India and History of Modern India. He is M. Phil from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He did his post graduation from D. A. V. College, Jalandhar. His dissertation at M. Phil level is on Mohammad Ali Jinnah under the guidance of Prof Indu Banga, presently professor in Punjab University, Chandigarh. He has been guided in his books by illustrious academician and historian Dr. Satish Kapoor, presently with Layalpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar. He had attended numerous conference and is a regular participant in Punjab History Conference, organised by Punjabi University, Patiala, India, every year.


He is son of an illustrious journalist, Sh. S. D. Khanna. Sh. S. D. Khanna is presently a News Editor of Hind Samachar, an Urdu daily being published from Jalandhar more famous for Punjab Kesari. Hind Samachar is one of those leading Urdu dailies of India which had emerged along with the Freedom Struggle of India. His younger brother, Satish Khanna is also in journalism, and presently working with a leading Hindi daily. He is a resident of Jalandhar.


I have introduced him to academic blogging in month of June 2005. He was impressed by this medium but it required lot of persuasion by me that he had now taken this actively seriously. As a result, the outcome is before you. He is now active and had come out with number of substantial write-ups. I have won a co-worker. Somewhere, I have fulfilled my commitment with John Simkin of Education Forum who has asked me about Indian Teachers writing blogs. Now here is one Indian gem before you.


Some of the recent posts published by him are as follows:
1. Was Mohammad Tughlaq Really a Fool?
2. Uprising in 1857
3. Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
He has also brought out on the cyberspace an article written by his father who is a M. A. in Urdu and with a standing of 45 years in journalism. The article is Allama Iqbal : The Poet and Philosopher.


In coming days, I will comment on the above mentioned articles. Somewhere, his ‘Idea of History’ is similar to one held by me. I have been talking about re-writing of Indian history. I have now a supportive argument in the article Mohammed Ali Jinnah by Khanna. I have raised this issue in one of my article, Why was Gandhi not given Nobel Prize?


Similarly, in his article "Was Mohammed Tughlaq Really a Fool", he had raised some issues on methodology in history, historiography of India and issue of interpretation in Indian history.


Now, I have some one to respond to who will write about Indian perception of sources on history, interpretation and constraints on historian in India and methodology in history.