Govind Pansare (1933–2015)

Govind Pansare was an author, activist, and rationalist known for his advocacy for secularism, workers’ rights, and scientific temper. A member of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Pansare was deeply influenced by the progressive traditions of Maharashtra. His most famous book, Shivaji Kon Hota? (Who Was Shivaji?), challenged the communal distortion of Shivaji’s legacy and portrayed him as a progressive, anti-caste figure, not the Hindu nationalist icon later politics made him out to be. Pansare was an outspoken supporter of Narendra Dabholkar and a critic of caste hierarchy, blind faith, and right-wing politics. He organized lectures, public debates, and street-level activism promoting humanist ideals. In 2015, Pansare and his wife were attacked by extremists; he later died of his injuries. His murder, along with those of Dabholkar, M. M. Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh, highlighted the growing threat to rationalist voices in India. Pansare is remembered as a courageous humanist intellectual who used history and reason to counter oppression.