Awarding Young History Enthusiasts: Highlights from the Sri Aurobindo Annual History Essay Competition Award Ceremony 2025

Sri Aurobindo Annual History Essay Competition Prize Distribution Ceremony took place on 24 April 2025 at Hotel Greenpark, Bengaluru, with Shri Tejasvi Surya, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, as the Chief Guest. The event welcomed over 180 attendees, including students, parents, and educators. Smt. Rajalakshmi Aggarwal and Shri Devesh Varma from the OLA Foundation were among the distinguished guests. Moreover, a heartfelt tribute was paid to Ms. Jayashree Ravindra, Dr. Sampath’s school teacher, for her invaluable impact. The conference was brought to a close with a Virtual Reality showcase by Who VR, giving visitors an immersive experience of India’s journey through history.

The ceremony received media coverage in Kannada dailies like Bangalore Dinamani and Vishwavani. Shri Tejasvi Surya’s social media handles shared highlights of the event, and schools that participated, namely Bal Bharati Public School and M.C. Kejriwal Vidyapeeth, celebrated their winners on social media as well. 

Winners:

FIHCR is proud to present the ‘Our Living Heritage, Essays by Young India’, an anthology of selected essays from the Sri Aurobindo Annual History Essay Competition 2024–25. Chosen from over 1500 entries representing 320+ cities, it features exceptional work from school students across India.  These essays showcase original research, fresh perspectives, and a deep engagement with India’s historical and cultural legacy. This collection reflects Sri Aurobindo’s vision of nurturing inquiry, critical thinking, and a meaningful understanding of our civilisational journey, offering readers insightful and inspiring voices from the next generation. Click here to get your copy today!

Jury

Co-Chairs

Amish Tripathi

Chair Member

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Ashwin Sanghi

Chair Member

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Jury

Mala Kumar

Jury Member

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Chandrachur Ghose

Jury Member

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Alo Pal

Jury Member

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Heeraman Tiwari

Jury Member

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Amish Tripathi

Amish Tripathi is a celebrated Indian author renowned for his mythological fiction, which presents ancient Indian epics with a modern perspective. His critically acclaimed works include the Shiva Trilogy (The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas, The Oath of the Vayuputras) and the Ram Chandra Series. A former banker, he transitioned to writing and is widely recognised for his immersive storytelling and in-depth research on Indian mythology.

Ashwin Sanghi

Ashwin Sanghi is a distinguished Indian author known for his gripping thrillers and historical fiction. His narratives combine history, mythology, and theology, creating thought-provoking and engaging stories. He has authored several bestsellers, including The Rozabal Line, Chanakya’s Chant, and The Krishna Key, which form part of his acclaimed Bharat Series. Mr. Sanghi holds an MBA from Yale University.

Dr. Lakshmi Arya

Dr. Lakshmi Arya

Prof. (Dr.) Lakshmi Arya Thathachar is Dean-Research and Professor of History at RV University, Bengaluru. Her work focuses on the socio-cultural history of modern India and philosophy.

Ganesh Puthur

Ganesh Puthur

Ganesh Puthur is a bilingual writer working in English and Malayalam, and a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar. His writings on history, politics, literature, and international affairs are widely published across platforms.

Nandini Sengupta

Nandini Sengupta

Nandini Sengupta is an award-winning writer of historical fiction and narrative history. Her book The Blue Horse And Other Amazing Animals from Indian History won the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2024 and was shortlisted for the Auther Awards 2021.

Heeraman Tiwari

 Professor Heeraman Tiwari is a distinguished scholar and faculty member at the Centre for Historical Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His expertise spans Sanskrit language and literature, intellectual history, and philosophy. He earned his PhD from the University of Delhi (1989), specialising in Sanskrit, Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta, and Nyāya Philosophy, followed by a D.Phil. (1994) in Indian Philosophy of Language and Indology from the University of Oxford.