Twice that is in 1992 and 2005 she has refused the Padmabhushan a State Award, enhancing her stature even further. And in 2008 she has awarded the prestigious Kluge Prize for the Study of Humanity, an honour reserved for disciplines like history which are not covered by the Nobel Prize. An author of path breaking approaches to history, from  Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas to Past As Present: Forging Contemporary Identities through History, Professor Thapar has navigated the world of history through a multi-dimensional and incisive lens. She speaks on the criticality of independence and courage in the Public Intellectual especially today, given the authoritarian tendencies of the regime in power in New Delhi.