In this Newslaundry interview, Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, head of Political Science at Ashoka University and author of Poetry of Belonging, examines how culture, poetry and shared histories have shaped Indian Muslims’ relationship with the country, and what threatens that sense of belonging today.

From calling the popular idea of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb a “postcolonial secular elite fantasy” to warning about the erosion of Hindi and Urdu, Professor Khan challenges familiar narratives about religion, secularism and social harmony. He argues that people did not have to abandon their faiths to live together; they built bonds while remaining deeply rooted in their own religious traditions.

He also discusses the rewriting of history, shrinking space for dissent in universities, and how social media is reshaping identity and political discourse. As trolling becomes routine and politics increasingly plays out online, what is at stake for India’s democracy?

The conversation also turns to the political scientist’s lineage, the historic estate of Mahmudabad and its rare manuscripts. Professor Khan argues that knowledge should be a public good, not a family possession, and is working to make his family’s collection freely accessible through an open digital reading room.

Watch the full conversation on the myths surrounding India’s shared culture, the future of its languages, academic freedom, and what remains of Awadh’s famed tehzeeb.