Historian| Author of 10 books|Building @naav_ai | Fellow @royalhistsoc | Founder @fihcr_info & @archive_indian |Aspen Fellow| @EF_Fellows| @_nmml_ Senior Fellow
Bengaluru, India
Joined October 2009
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After months of huddles & quiet hustles; intense brainstorming; periods of great ecstasy and moments of intense despair—we are so delighted to announce our new start-up venture - @naav_ai
NAAV AI that empowers languages with AI-Powered Content Transformation.
Inspired by the Sanskrit, Pāli, and Hindi word Naav (meaning “boat”), we envision AI as a vessel — carrying content across linguistic shores, making knowledge more accessible, and connecting people through language.
The spark was lit during one of the numerous endless conversations I have with my dear friend of several years and always a sounding board of sorts—Sandeep Singh Chauhan. Coming from a rich corporate experience of over 20 years and a sound technology background, Sandeep was the perfect person to ideate on a longstanding thought. Both of us felt an urgent need to democratize quality content, lifting it from the ‘English-only’ bubble into the multilingual heartbeat of India — with 22 official languages and countless dialects. Could the emergent AI technology help bridge this growing linguistic divide? Could it translate and transform content — text, audio, video — into the diverse languages of India without erasing the human voice and the cultural and linguistic nuances? Could it empower, not replace, creators?
And thus, NAAV AI was co-founded by Sandeep and me in January 2025. In no time we had a third friend Sravan Kumar Aditya, a builder and enabler of several successful tech start-ups join hands with us. It was propitious to get early support for the company from friends @bhash (CEO of @Olacabs & @Krutrim) whose infectious energy makes every idea seem within reach and @ashajadeja (Silicon Valley based investor and philanthropist) who is always on the lookout to support every good idea.
Our flagship product, TransLit, began its journey with @BluOneInk
as our first publishing partner. Our team of brilliant developers, language experts, and professional translators are now translating books from English into 6 Indian languages: Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.— faster, better, and with human creativity and intervention at the core. The AI simply assists them, it can never replace them! Every AI translation is meticulously reviewed and refined by these professionals who are part of the founding team, who report faster turnarounds and greater reach.
But this is just the beginning.
NAAV AI is setting sail for an exciting journey ahead— and we’re inviting you aboard !
Let’s bridge languages. Let’s build together.
For more details please visit our website naavai.com/ and follow us on our social-media handles!
FB: bit.ly/43Ho5kX
Insta: bit.ly/4kTAbi8
Linkedin bit.ly/43NhHsC
X: xitter.cf/naav_ai
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
A lively meeting of minds at yesterday’s jury deliberations for The @NewIndianXpress’s RamNath Goenka Sahitya Samman 2026. A pleasure to chair a spirited exchange with fellow jurors on books, ideas and the remarkable diversity of Indian writing. The difficult part, of course, is choosing among them, but we managed to achieve consensus without any volumes being flung!
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
History is never just about the past. It is about the people who shaped it, the battles that defined it, and the stories that continue to spark debate.
Historian and author Dr. @vikramsampath brings these stories to life through meticulous research and engaging narratives, exploring some of the most fascinating and contested chapters of India’s past.
📚 THE FIVE-BOOK SET
1. Waiting for Shiva
Explores the history and ongoing debate surrounding Kashi’s Gyan Vapi.
2. Bravehearts of Bharat
Remarkable personalities and lesser-known stories from Indian history.
3. Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past (1883–1924)
Savarkar’s early life, ideas and political evolution.
4. Savarkar: A Contested Legacy (1924–1966)
The later years and enduring legacy of one of India’s most debated figures.
5. Tipu Sultan
Revisits the life and reign of the ruler of Mysore.
Explore India’s past through this set of five books by Dr. Vikram Sampath, a compelling collection for readers of history, biographies and the stories behind historical debates.
🔗 padhegaindia.in/product/vikr…
#BuyOriginal 💮 #BuyFromPI
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
The jury meets in Delhi to finalise the winners of the #RamnathGoenkaSahithyaSamman2026.
Stay tuned for the results!
#RNGSS2026 #Literaryawards #Thenewindianexpress
@santwana99 @lakshmi94338678
@ShashiTharoor @sanjeevsanyal @vikramsampath
@etteth @KVaidiyanathan
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
The winners will be chosen at a jury meeting in Delhi on October 22.
The external jury is chaired by Shashi Tharoor, with economist Sanjeev Sanyal and author-historian Vikram Sampath.
Winners will be announced in Chennai on December 2.
#RNGSS
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Tipu’s flag is carried in Lord Padmanabhaswamy’s Arattu procession every year—a reminder of how the so-called “Lion of Mysore” fled with his tail between his legs.
Read the full story here.
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Asad Ashraf, first of all, stop speculating about my identity. Would you be satisfied if I showed you my Aadhaar Card? Wouldn’t you want to see whether I was circumcised or had my prepuce intact? If I passed that test too, wouldn’t you want to check my qualification to speak on the subject? And, if I passed that too, wouldn’t you like to dip Imanometer in my heart to check if it throbbed with Dard-e Millat?
You have set very high standards for engaging with Sharjeel Imam. According to you, one must have read “Critical Theory, Political Philosophy, Metaphysics, and historical conditions that shape political thought”. You forgot, Ilm-ul Tafseer, Daura-e Hadees, Sarf, Nahw, Uruz, Mantiq, Hikmat, aur wo jo aajkal chal raha hai jiske bina anglo-ulema ka koi jumla poora nahin hota hai—Ontology and Epistemology; aur haan, Quantum bhi.
Asad, going by your own standards, are you qualified to engage with Sharjeel’s ideas? Also, how many persons can you find in the Muslim community who can? Tell me, what do you expect me to do with the verbiage that you have served in this post?
May I know, what’s your precise criticism of my piece? Have I misquoted Sharjeel? Have I made a tendentious selection from his speeches and writings to reproduce them out of context so that they convey meanings other than intended? Have I misinterpreted and misunderstood him?
Asad, you are agitated because I have correctly interpreted and understood him, whereas you want people to take the meaning which his words can’t yield. That’s why this obfuscation about complexity and nuance. Please understand, nuance is for clarity, and not for ambiguity.
You don’t like labels. Neither do I. However, do you think that “fascist” is a label which Sharjeel uses freely even for Mahatma Gandhi? This word, in any case, is a hot favourite with the kind of people you have addressed in this post. Whosoever dares to question their holy narrative, is a fascist. So much for labelling, Asad!
I have left some of your points unaddressed. Will reply if you deign to engage with me despite my lack of qualification in Critical Theory, Political Philosophy, and Historical whatever.
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
A victory that transcends time.
Across India, the many sculptural representations of Mahishasuramardini reflect the enduring relationship between sacred narratives, regional artistic traditions, and cultural memory.
This year, Vijayadashami falls on 20th October across much of India, while Bengal observes Bijoya Dashami on 21st October. The occasion reminds us of the diverse traditions that shape Bharat's socio-cultural and religious landscape.
FIHCR wishes everyone a Happy Vijayadashami and Shubho Bijoya.🙏
@vikramsampath
Image sources:
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Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Drawing on Paul Ricoeur and Cynthia Talbot’s study of Prithviraj Chauhan, Dr Saumya Dey explores the complex relationship between history and memory, and how our understanding of the past reflects who we are and what we aspire to become.
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
For the first time since 1947, Navratri puja was performed at Sharda Peeth on the LoC in Kupwara, Kashmir.
Abandoned for decades, the ancient temple was restored and reopened in March 2023.
This is why the abrogation of Article 370 matters. 🔥🇮🇳
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
No matter how far and wide one travels in the world, the place where one was born and spent one's childhood holds a special place. #Mysuru occupies a sweet spot in me. -Sg @vikramsampath
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
You will hate me. But I will tell you the reason for this as well.
This is projection. Yogendra’s mask of competence has fallen off. He is the subject of ridicule for not just right-wingers, but centrists and even some centre-left folks too.
Only the ideological cannon-fodder of the left still consider Yogendra a reasonable voice.
He is probably one of the most ridiculed persons on social media today. You might think he has a thick skin, and he may have one. But he is human too. From being at the forefront of the IAC movement, hobnobbing with the who’s who of champaign socialists of Delhi; to now helicoptering from one cause to another in the hope of some relevance, he has fallen a long way.
When the cameras go off and he doesn’t have to blabber something inane, like, “hum aarop nahi laga rahe, par nishpaksh jaanch honi chahiye”. He has to look at the mirror in his bedroom before he goes to sleep, and wonder, “how did I become this bipartisan subject of ridicule?”
This insecurity creeps in and takes form of different things. He lashes out one day at fellow panelists where sometimes even centre-left folks mock him. And sometimes he clutches at the straws by trying to protect the honour of a fellow charlatan, in this case, this Jean fellow.
This is projection. He hopes, by coming to the defence of Jean, he can whisper to the winds, he too is worth defending. Deep down he knows he isn’t. But if Jean can be defended for his chicanery, he can be too. That’s why he has lent his voice to this silly argument.
Full marks for trying.
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Revolutionary. Ideologue. One of modern India's most contested historical figures. Who was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar beyond the headlines and historical labels?
With Savarkar, opinions are rarely in short supply. Historical understanding, however, requires something more: evidence, context, and a willingness to examine the record.
Historian Dr. Vikram Sampath takes on that challenge in his two-volume biography.
📚 Savarkar: Echoes from a Forgotten Past (1883–1924) traces his early life, revolutionary activities, years in London and imprisonment in the Andaman Cellular Jail.
📚 Savarkar: A Contested Legacy (1924–1966) examines his later life, ideological evolution, political role and the controversies that continue to shape his legacy.
Drawing on archival material and historical documents from India and abroad, He reconstructs a life that cannot be understood through a single episode or a convenient label.
Because history is rarely as simple as a social media argument would have us believe.
Two volumes. Eight decades of history. And considerably more to examine than a headline.
Author: @vikramsampath
Publisher: @PenguinIndia
🛒 padhegaindia.in/product/sava…
#BuyOriginal 💮 #BuyFromPI
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Complete non-sequitur👇 at anecdotal levels for those even remotely engaged w/classical music.
Perhaps time to remind Ram Guha that Ramtanu Panday needed to convert in order to achieve the court patronage that enabled the legend of Miyan Tansen...
Our classical music is the greatest achievement of Indian civilisation, and it would be tragic if its inherently pluralist and syncretic character falls prey to the polarising poison of Hindutva. My column in @ttindia :
telegraphindia.com/opinion/n…
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Akbar’s apocalyptic siege of Chittor in 1567-68 which ended in horrific civilian carnage was a major turning point in Indian history which saw the other Rajput clans swiftly submitting to Mughal arms. My latest.
theperfectvoice.in/post/1568…
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
🌸 Festivals in Frames | Stories, Traditions and Celebrations from the Festivals of India
Chapter 2: Durga Puja
✨ From magnificent pandals to the rhythmic beats of the dhak, Durga Puja is a celebration woven with legend, devotion and artistic brilliance. Celebrated with grandeur across Eastern India, especially Bengal, the festival honours Maa Durga’s victory over Mahishasura and her beloved homecoming, bringing together centuries-old traditions, vibrant rituals and a spirit of togetherness.
🎉 More than a festival, a living heritage. Durga Puja in Kolkata, recognised by UNESCO in 2021.
✨ YUVA presents ‘Festival in Frames’, a journey through India’s diverse festivals, uncovering the stories, traditions and histories that have shaped the way we celebrate them today.
📖 Swipe through to discover the story of Durga Puja.
@vikramsampath @BhaleRasika
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
✨ Amid the historic splendour of Maheshwar Fort and the sacred ghats of the Narmada, our recent field visit offers a glimpse into the enduring legacy of Lokmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar.
FIHCR is undertaking a comprehensive study of her life and leadership in collaboration with the Directorate of Culture, Government of Madhya Pradesh.
In association with the Holkar Cultural Center (HCC), this journey seeks to rediscover the stories, spaces, and traditions that preserve her enduring civilisational legacy.
Read more about the project at fihcr.com/devi-ahilya-bai-ho…
@minculturemp
@vikramsampath
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
@annamalai_k anna shares events of our history that demonstrate civilizational unity beyond region and language from Dr. @vikramsampath ‘s book.
Request you all to read this book.
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Now reading :
Waiting for Shiva by @vikramsampath
Amazon link: amzn.in/d/0bZHAanT
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
In the conversation on @ANI_Podcast with @smitaprakash , Dr Vikram Sampath @vikramsampath reflects on why a civilisation that has endured for millennia deserves a history studied with depth, nuance, and evidence. The stories we preserve today will shape how generations understand our past tomorrow.
At FIHCR, we believe that enduring scholarship is an investment in the future. Explore our work and know more about our journey at fihcr.com/
Watch the full conversation here: youtu.be/EevCzX_QC3k?si=r-Qv…
Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS retweeted
Do Looks Matter? This article explores the intriguing variations in the numismatic depictions of Mihirakula, the Hūṇa ruler of early sixth-century India.
@vikramsampath
