A simple tall man whose sartorial choices would frequently result in a classic dhoti-kurta combination, Sharma has been known for his strong commitment towards lifelong historical research and quality teaching. His education imparting skills have helped produce generations worth of successful scholars and leaders. Sharma took it as a great responsibility to guide and nurture his students with enriching knowledge which would only end up making them passionate about their work.

Sharma's excellent and unique perspective made him stand out among the many history intellectuals in India. He believed and said that the discipline of history doesn't necessarily limit itself to see what happened in the past but also takes into account the present and the way it responds to the changes. Hearing these words can make one sure why Ram Sharan Sharma has been known as a legendary historian.

His career as an incredible educationist is quite ironic to the way he earned his own education, but that's how successful people turn their lives around. Sharma's educational achievements surpass boundaries. He started his journey of teaching from colleges in Arrah and Bhagalpur then later ended up climbing levels in Patna University.

He began as a history head of the department in 1958 gradually becoming a professor at Patna College. A few years later, he was the dean of the history department at Delhi University. Sharma was also a visiting fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies and a visiting professor of history at the University of Toronto.

Apart from his endless awards, Sharma has been associated with some of the biggest institutions. He got made the deputy chairperson of UNESCO's International Association for Study of Central Asia from 1973 to 1978. He was also the founding chairperson of the Indian Council of Historical Research, an important member of the National Commission of History of Sciences in India, and the University Grants Commission.

While this list goes on, Sharma has also lent his vision in expanding and developing the institutions of India by guiding the department of history and drastically changing the syllabi. It is thanks to him that the University of Delhi managed to include history as a widely chosen subject. Studies and institutions were only one side of his forte, the other side included his books and writings.

Sharma's perspective of feudalism became a constant topic of debate. There were positive outcomes along with faulty arguments against the applicability of his theory. This work was claimed as his magnum opus. He even undertook a further study to the same which thoroughly invalidated the objections that many critics had raised against his work.

This was something he would very frequently deal with given that many of his books would talk about communal history that concerned ancient medieval religious texts like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. His book called Ancient India was even banned by the Janata Party for the criticism it had regarding the events that occur in Mahabharata.

But that is just how Ram Sharan Sharma was. Denouncing communalism, supporting a Marxist perspective towards history, and believing in communicating quality level education, Sharma had led a life that always dealt with bold things and issues. 20th August 2011 marks his 10th death anniversary and with it, a call for a tribute to him. As simple as you looked, your ambitions were ardently bold and genuinely fiery.