What great news! The Library of Congress' 2008 Kluge Prize has been given to historians Romila Thapar and Peter Brown.
I am huge admirer of these fine historians. In addition to her scholarship on antiquity and medieval Indian history, Thapar is the pre-eminent public intellectual with a staunch commitment to a secular India. Her work leading up to, and after, the 1992 Babri Masjid riots is one of the clearest acts of public bravery by a historian. Peter Brown's lucid prose has often been gushed up at CM. So Awesome!
There are better profiles at the LoC site.