Key Points:
Historian Ruchika Sharma's post about Karana being on the 'wrong side' of history has sparked a debate online.
She wrote in an X post that, "karan was the only correct side in Mahabharat."
Several users on X slammed Sharma and claimed that she was taking advantage of caste bias.
DELHI BASED ACADEMIC RUCHIKA SHARMA’S X bio states that she is a historian of medieval India. In her most recent post about the caste status of one of the Mahabharata’s tragic heroes, Karana, Sharma sparked an online debate over her historical claims. On June 23, 2026, the Delhi Union, which hosts debates, shared a clip on X of Newslaundry CEO Abhinandan Sekhri delivering the closing remarks of his speech.
During the event, Sekhri shared that Karana is his favourite character from the Mahabharata. 'Brave, honourable, valiant, but on the wrong side of the debate. And therefore, his defeat was inevitable,' Sekhri added.
The post was reposted by Sharma hours later, with her pointing to Sekhri’s remarks about Karana being on the 'wrong side' of history. She wrote, “Karan joined the “wrong” side because the other side shunned him due to his caste status. They continued their onslaught by tricking him into giving away his only solace, his Kavach and Kundal.”
Ruchika Sharma continued that, “Karan was always on the side where his talent was respected and not envied because how can a low caste man achieve greatness?? Therefore, karan was the only correct side in Mahabharata, he won by defying the herculean odds of caste and class.” Sharma’s post has gained over 140,000 views in the past 24 hours, with many users debating the narrative shared online.
Several users slammed Sharma and claimed that she was taking advantage of caste bias. One user took a dig at the history enthusiast and said, “Lol, this is what happens when you read for the sake of reading and then speak for the sake of speaking. Karana was loyal, but to the wrong side. But anyways, people who make their living out of caste bias cannot understand that, let alone see it from a spiritual angle.”
Another user expressed disappointment with Sharma’s narrative and wrote, “I appreciate you for your nuance, but clearly it's applied selectively. Karan was not simply a victim. He was basically Duryodhana's sycophant and actively encouraged war as the first recourse.”
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Karana was a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. He was the son of Princess Kunti, the wife of King Pandu of the Kuru Kingdom and the mother of the Pandavas. Karana's story is considered one of the most complex narratives in the entire Mahabharata.
As per the legend, Karana was born after Kunti received a blessing from the sage Durvasa. Kunti, the daughter of a king from the Yadava dynasty, pleased Durvasa with her hospitality, and he granted her a Siddha mantra through which she could bear a child by invoking any deity. The young Kunti tested the mantra and invoked the Surya dev Sun God. To her surprise, she was blessed with a child who was born wearing armour. Unable to keep the child, she placed him in a basket and set it adrift on a river.
Charioteer Adhiratha and his wife, Radha, found the child and raised him as their own son. Later on, he realised that he had been abandoned by his birth parents.
The legend says that Karana was equal to Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers in skills, and was a close friend and loyalist of Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas. Karana despised the Pandavas, a view he shared with Duryodhana. On one occasion, his lineage as the son of a charioteer was ridiculed by Bhima, the second-oldest of the Pandavas. As he was the adopted son of a Suta (charioteer), his identity as a Sutaputra (son of a Suta) was viewed as socially inferior.
Ruchika Sharma was born and raised in Delhi and has been a history enthusiast since childhood. Some reports claim that she holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and is also a social media influencer. She has uploaded more than 200 videos on YouTube, and her YouTube channel, Eyeshadows & Itihaas, has more than 20,000 subscribers. She also creates content on history and has a keen interest in medieval India.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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