Dr. Samira Sheikh, the Fifth Obaid Siddiqi Chair at the Archives at NCBS, will deliver a three-part lecture series this July examining the evolution of Indian boundaries and the historical construction of space. The Obaid Siddiqi Lectures focus on the shift from pre-modern cartography—where few identified explicit political borders—to the modern era of demarcated state territories.
The lecture series will be hosted across various Bengaluru institutions to engage both the scientific and legal academic communities:
| Lecture Title | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| The Mughal Map Mystery | July 10, 2026 | NCBS (Dasheri Auditorium) |
| Walking the Dotted Line | July 16, 2026 | NLSIU (Conference Hall) |
| Secrets and Lines | July 19, 2026 | Bangalore International Centre |
Investigative Focus: The Unmapped Past
The research centers on the tension between Historical Mapping and modern governance. Dr. Sheikh’s inquiry moves beyond traditional archival findings to integrate spatial and digital methodologies. Her work argues that despite the systematic efforts to measure land and sky during the Mughal era and beyond, political boundaries remained fluid or absent in traditional documentation.
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The lectures specifically deconstruct how Territorial Boundaries were imposed upon the landscape rather than inherent to it.
By utilizing Digital Humanities, the series aims to show how "missing archives" inform current understandings of nationhood and state control.
Institutional Context
The Archives at NCBS manages these annual lectures, which honor the legacy of the late molecular biologist Obaid Siddiqi. The program acts as a bridge between the History and Culture of Science, involving collaborations with institutions such as the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) and the Bangalore International Centre.
Attendees planning to attend the second lecture at NLSIU must present government-issued identification at the main gate, with pre-registration required for entry. This series follows the previous year's focus on historical scientific figures, maintaining a consistent trajectory toward re-examining the Social Worlds of trade, labor, and the scientific ordering of the Indian subcontinent.
