Nandkumar M. Kamat
Mathematician and historian Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi (popularly known as DDK) passed away peacefully on June 29, 1966, just weeks before his 59th birthday, at his residence on Bhandarkar Road in Pune. While his High School yearbook lists his birth date as July 31, 1907, the exact location remains uncertain.
After Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was sworn in as the Chief Minister in June 2007, he retained the Department of Art and Culture. Toward the end of June, I phoned him to inform him that the birth centenary of DDK, the great son of Goa, begins on July 31, 2007, and the government should form a state-level committee to organise year-long programmes. He immediately acted, and a representative committee was formed. He brought in a very influential, erudite late writer Maria Aurora Couto to guide
the committee. The first programme was held on July 31, 2007 at MES College, Zuarinagar, where a brochure I had prepared as a committee member on DDK was released. It is available here https://shorturl.at/WvJmg. Our committee came out with the plan of launching an annual DDK Festival of Ideas, and the first series of lectures was held in 2008.
The official website of the Art and Culture Department on Festival Of Ideas is available at https://ddkfestivalofideas.com/index.php, but its contents are poor and not updated. There is no archive of the videos of previous lectures from 2008 to 2020. However, 15 videos from 2008 and 2009 were uploaded in September 2016 and are available on this link: http://www.youtube.com/@directorateofartculturegoa3836. One good thing was that the CDs of the lectures were prepared and are still available at nominal prices from the Department of Art and Culture. Major books by DDK are available at https://tinyurl.com/2p8k3b6r, his biodata can be seen at https://tinyurl.com/2p8k3b6r, useful blogs on him are available at http://ddkosambi.blogspot.com/ and https://tinyurl.com/2p8k3b6r. All these websites should not to be missed by students, teachers, and those planning to attend the 14th edition.
Kosambi was an intellectual polymath whose scholarship transformed Indian historiography. His work in Marxist historiography, rationalist inquiry, economic history, scientific numismatics, and archaeological analysis set a high intellectual standard, making him one of the most original thinkers of his time. The festival initially sought to honour this legacy by inviting speakers whose academic pursuits aligned with Kosambi’s interdisciplinary and critical approach to history, science, and social structures.
The first edition in 2008 featured Romila Thapar speaking on ‘D. D. Kosambi’s Legacy to the Study of Ancient Indian History’, Meera Kosambi on ‘D. D. Kosambi: A Scholar and The Man’, and P. Sainath on ‘Rising Inequality and the Danger to Democracy’. These sessions directly engaged with Kosambi’s approach to historical materialism, socio-economic inequality, and the scientific study of history.
The subsequent editions from 2009 to 2012 continued this intellectual engagement. Rajdeep Sardesai (2009) discussed the media’s influence. Ramachandra Guha (2009) analysed India’s political evolution, and Medha Patkar (2012) critiqued development paradigms through the lens of people’s movements. Other prominent figures included Girish Karnad (2010) on ‘Colonialism and Culture’, Nandan Nilekani (2009) on ‘Imagining India: Future Challenges’, and Muhammad Yunus (2012) on social entrepreneurship. These discussions were intellectually rigorous and relevant, staying true to Kosambi’s principles of rationalism historical materialism and socio-economic analysis.
From 2013 onward, the festival broadened its themes, introducing corporate leaders, motivational speakers, and spiritual figures, signalling a noticeable departure from Kosambi’s core areas of inquiry. This edition included a panel discussion on the portrayal of women in media with current finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman as a speaker; and Bhikhu Parekh discussing ‘The Indian Tradition of Public Debate’. The significant themes reflected a shift away from historical materialism and rationalist inquiry. The 2014–2015 editions included figures such as Narayan Murthy from Infosys, environmental activist Vandana Shiva, media expert Alyque Padamsee, and economist Raghuram Rajan. While some discussions maintained academic depth, others veered into broad leadership governance and development discourses, moving away from Kosambi’s materialist approach to history and economic systems.
By 2017–2020 the festival saw a near-total shift toward personal inspiration, adventure and corporate philosophy with speakers such as Sudha Murthy (2016) on ‘The Circle of Life’, George Papandreou (2016) on global dialogue, Sandesh Kadur (2017) on environmental conservation and Deepa Malik (2020) on overcoming disabilities. While these topics were undoubtedly valuable, they bore little direct connection to Kosambi’s academic focus.
The 2025 edition continues this trend, featuring motivational talks, personal stories of resilience, adventure sports, and spiritual guidance.
Gaur Gopal Das is a popular motivational speaker and spiritual guide from ISKCON known for his talks on personal growth philosophy and self-improvement. Alka Sarogi is a Hindi novelist. Sarogi’s discussion on mental health through literature is undoubtedly essential, but it does not engage with Kosambi’s areas of research. A session exploring historical narratives in literature class struggle in fiction or the materialist interpretation of literature might have been more relevant. Aditya Gupta is a mountaineer and entrepreneur. Gupta’s discussion on personal resilience and leadership through mountaineering is inspiring but far removed from Kosambi’s focus on scientific methodology, historical critique, and economic history. Nivedita Bhide, associated with Vivekananda Kendra, represents a school of thought emphasising cultural revivalism. Abhilash Tomy is a naval officer and solo circumnavigator. Tomy’s discussion on maritime adventure and resilience is an inspiring story of human endurance. However, its connection to Kosambi’s historical materialism and scientific historiography is again tenuous.
While the line-up reflects a broadening of intellectual engagement, it no longer serves as a tribute to Kosambi’s specific academic and philosophical contributions. This raises an important question: Should the festival be restructured to return to its original intellectual vision or be repositioned as a more general discourse on ideas? To continue bearing Kosambi’s name, a more deliberate effort must be made to integrate discussions on historiography, rationalism, scientific temper, and economic history.
Future editions could include a balanced mix of scholars and contemporary voices, ensuring that at least some sessions engage with Kosambi’s intellectual domains. Potential speakers might include indologist Michel Danino, Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Arvind Sharma, Jean Drèze, Dipankar Gupta, K. K. Muhammed, et al. These scholars could explore themes such as materialist interpretations of history, the impact of economic forces on civilisations, and the scientific study of ancient societies, ensuring a connection to Kosambi’s academic vision.
