Bipan Chandra (1928-2014) was born in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. He was educated at Forman Christian College, Lahore, and at Stanford University, California. He was professor of modern history at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, member of the University Grants Commission and chairman of the National Book Trust. He was a prolific writer, who founded the journal Enquiry and wrote several books on nationalism, colonialism and communalism in modern India.