Harbans Mukhia is an acclaimed historian of medieval India and the author of a number of books on the Mughals. He was Rector at Jawaharlal Nehru University from 1999 to 2002. His essay, “Was There Feudalism in Indian History?” led to an international debate in the Journal of Peasant Studies between 1985 and 1993. His collection of Urdu poems (kuch udaas nazmeiN) was published in 2025.