Sneh Mahajan (1944-2018)

Sneh Mahajan (1944-2018) retired as Associate Professor from the Department of History in 2010 after forty four years of dedicated service. She obtained M.A. in History from University of Delhi, and M.A. in International History at London School of Economics and Political Science, and earned Ph.D. in History from the University of Delhi in 1975.

She was Senior Fellow at the Indian Council of Historical Research, and Academic Visitor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Her teaching and research focused on British Foreign Policy, Colonial History, Modern Indian History and Contemporary History. She was elected President of Non-Indian History Section of the Indian History Congress held at Mumbai in 2012.

Dr. Mahajan worked extensively at the National Archives of India, New Delhi; Public Records Office, London (now National Archives UK); The India Office Library, London; the Nehru Memorial Library; and many other libraries. She published many articles & book reviews in national & international journals; chapters in textbooks prepared by the University of Delhi, Indira Gandhi National Open University and the Institute of Life Long Learning at the University of Delhi. She also recorded many lectures for video programmes of the Jamia Millia Islamia.

Her publications include British Foreign Policy 1874-1914, The Role of India, Routledge, London & NY, 2002 (available in Kindle e-edition), and special Indian edition Colony's Resources Imperial Designs: Britain and the Defence of the Raj 1870-1914 (forthcoming from London). Her other works include Issues in Twentieth Century World History (Macmillan India, 2010/2011/ 2014), a Hindi translation of James Joll's Europe since 1870 (Delhi, 1992/2008), and Imperial Strategy and Moderate Politics, Delhi, 1983. Her last book , Foreign Policy of Colonial India 1900-1947, was published in 2018 by Routledge & was reprinted in 2020.

Dr. Sneh Mahajan left us on 30 March 2018 but her grand legacy as teacher, scholar, and colleague lives on. Her books are widely referred both by researchers and students alike. Many courses taught at the University of Delhi have her works cited as compulsory readings, especially works translated by her into Hindi. Our alumnae, many of whom are now distinguished teachers, fondly remember her. But, at the Department of History at IPCW her absence is keenly felt by all colleagues who knew her as a warm, dedicated and sincere human being.