Vikas Kumar
Areas of Interest & Expertise
- Political economy of statistics
- Law and economics
- Economics of religion
- Indian history
Biography
Vikas Kumar is Professor of Economics at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. He studied metallurgy (B Tech, 2001) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) and economics (PhD, 2010) at Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Mumbai. He worked with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, New Delhi and Trichy, and National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, before joining Azim Premji University.
His research explores the interfaces between politics and statistics, economics and religion, and Kautilya’s Arthasastra and other pre-modern texts. He is the author of Living with Illegibility: State-making in Nagaland (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming), Numbers as Political Allies: The Census in Jammu and Kashmir (Cambridge University Press, 2023) and Waiting for a Christmas Gift: Essays on Politics, Elections and Media in Nagaland (Heritage Publishing House, 2023) and the co-author of Numbers in India’s Periphery: The Political Economy of Government Statistics (Cambridge University Press, 2020).
He curated the exhibitions Caste in Modern India: A Postal History (1905−2024), Counting and Controlling Population: Postal Services, Census & Family Planning in Post-colonial India (1951 – 2011) and Ambedkar through Ephemera: Tracing a Legacy in the Everyday at the Bangalore International Centre and Baba Saheb: An Extraordinary Philatelic Journey (1966−2022) at the India International Centre, New Delhi. He is a recipient of the Elizabeth Adiseshiah Award for Distinguished Contributions to Development Studies (2024).
Courses
Understanding India’s Development Realities through Data
Work with real datasets to interpret development trends
Political Economy of Government Statistics
An exploration of the mutually constitutive relation between data, development and democracy.
Economy and Development: The Indian Experience
Explore India’s economic history and its development trajectory.
Publications
Books
- Kumar, V. 2026 (forthcoming). Living with Illegibility: State-making in Nagaland. Cambridge University Press.
- Kumar, V. (2023). Numbers as Political Allies: The Census in Jammu and Kashmir. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009317245
- Kumar, V. (2023). Waiting for a Christmas Gift: Essays on Politics, Elections and Media in Nagaland. Heritage Publishing House. https://ilandlo.com/products/waiting-for-a-christmas-gift-essays-on-politics-elections-and-media-in-nagaland-vikas-kumar
- Agrawal, A. and Kumar, V. (2020). Numbers in India’s Periphery: The Political Economy of Government Statistics. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108762229
Exhibitions
- Kumar, V. (2026, February 24 – 28). ‘गिनती में आओ’: भारत में जनगणना का डाक इतिहास. Uttar Pradesh State Archives, Lucknow https://Azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2026/गिनती-में-आओ‑भारत‑में-जनगणना-का-डाक‑इतिहास
- Kumar, V. (2026, February 20 – 21). Development: The Journey of an Idea. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2026/development-the-journey-of-an-idea
- Kumar, V. (2026, February 05 – 06). ‘Get Yourself Counted’: A Postal History of the Census in Independent India. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2026/bengaluru-exhibition-postal-history-of-the-census-in-independent-india
- Kumar, V. (2026, January 29 – 31). ‘Get Yourself Counted’: A Postal History of the Census in Independent India. Kala Kendra, Jammu https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2026/exhibition-postal-history-of-the-census-in-independent-india
- Kumar, V. (2025, November 03). Liberalisation in the Eyes of Traders: Stories from Sri Ganganagar (1989−1994). Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2025/liberalisation-in-the-eyes-of-traders-stories-from-sri-ganganagar-1989 – 1994
- Kumar, V. (2025, October 06 – 07). Saving for the Nation. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2025/saving-for-the-nation
- Kumar, V. (2025, June 13 – 15). Ambedkar Through Ephemera. Bangalore International Centre. https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/event/ambedkar-through-ephemera/
- Kumar, V. (2025, May 23). Cities in the World of Indian Stamps. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2025/cities-in-the-world-of-indian-stamps
- Kumar, V. (2025, April 14 – 15). Ambedkar Through Ephemera. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2025/ambedkar-through-the-lens-of-ephemera
- Dasgupta, S. & Kumar, V. (2025, April 10-April 11). Reframing the Adivasi. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2025/reframing-the-adivasi
- Kumar, V. (2024, October 23). Liberalisation in the Eyes of Traders: Stories from Sri Ganganagar (1989−1994). Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2024/liberalisation-in-the-eyes-of-traders
- Dasgupta, S. & Kumar, V. (2024, August 21-August 28). Reframing the Adivasi. India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi. https://iicdelhi.in/programmes/reframing — adivasi
- Kumar, V. (2024, August 14-August 16). Caste in Modern India: A Postal History (1890−2024). Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2024/caste-in-modern-india-a-postal-history-1890 – 2024-bengaluru-campus
- Kumar, V. (2024, May 31-June 2). Caste in Modern India: A Postal History (1905−2024). Bangalore International Centre, Bengaluru. https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/event/caste-in-modern-india/
- Kumar, V. (2023, August 5). Cities in the World of Indian Stamps. Museum of Art and Photography, Bengaluru. https://map-india.org/map-events/cities-in-the-world-of-indian-stamps/
- Kumar, V. (2023, April 21– 26). From Policies to Personalities. Instem Museum, Bengaluru. https://www.ncbs.res.in/events/apls-stamps-vk
- Kumar, V. (2023, January 27 – 30). Counting and Controlling Population: Postal Services, Census & Family Planning in Post-colonial India, 1951 – 2011. Bangalore International Centre, Bengaluru. https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/event/counting-and-controlling-population/
- Kumar, V. (2022, December 1). Liberalisation in the Eyes of Grains Traders: Stories from Sri Ganganagar (1988−1994). Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2022/liberalisation-in-the-eyes-of-traders
- Kumar, V. (November 25 – 29). Saving for the Nation. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2022/saving-for-the-nation
- Kumar, V. (November 13 – 14). India’s First Prime Minister: A Philatelic Picture. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru. https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/events/2022/indias-first-prime-minister-a-philatelic-picture
- Kumar, V. (2022, July 01 – 06) Baba Saheb: An Extraordinary Philatelic Journey (1966−2022). Bangalore International Centre (BIC), Bengaluru. https://bangaloreinternationalcentre.org/event/baba-saheb/
- Kumar, V. (2022, June 07 – 22). Baba Saheb: An Extraordinary Philatelic Journey (1966−2022). India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi. https://iicdelhi.in/programmes/baba-saheb-extraordinary-philatelic-journey-1966 – 2022
- Kumar, V. (2022, April 14). From “a highly controversial figure” to “Baba Saheb”: An Extraordinary Philatelic Journey (1966−2021). Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.
