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Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Nationalist history presents India as this ancient thing called Bharat Varsha, with geography from the Mahabharata that remained constant. But the British were conquering random territories based on economic sense, not Indianness': Sam Dalrymple
Sam Dalrymple is in the United Kingdom when we speak, where he will be based until October. It is a fitting location from which to reflect on Shattered Lands (Harper Collins; 536 pages; ₹799), his ambitious debut on the British Empire's afterlives, which traces five partitions that dismantled what was once known as the Indian Empire. From Burma's separation in 1937 to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, Dalrymple reconstructs the imperial geography, one where Indian rupees circulated in Dubai, Yemeni Jews carried Indian passports, and loyalty to the Viceroy stretched from Aden to Assam. A Delhi-raised Scottish, Dalrymple, 28, studied Persian and Sanskrit at the University of Oxford. He also speaks Hindi and Urdu fluently. His work spans media — print, film, and virtual reality with projects exploring migration, memory, and the afterlives of empire. If the surname rings familiar, it is not incidental. He is the son of historian William Dalrymple, one of the most prominent chroniclers of South Asia's early modern past. In this conversation with The Indian Express, Dalrymple speaks about erased borders, nationalist cartographies, Jinnah's contradictions, and advice from his father. Edited excerpts: The key moment was visiting Afghanistan's Bamiyan Buddhas at 16. But the real inspiration was Project Dastaan, founded with friends at Oxford. We noticed Indians and Pakistanis mingled freely abroad unlike Israelis and Palestinians, yet could not visit each other's homelands. We used Virtual Reality to reconnect Partition-separated families. One man, Iqbal, wanted to find his Hindu friend Narendra Singh, who had preserved their ancestral mosque amid horrific violence. We found Narendra's family in Mohali near Chandigarh. Though Narendra had passed, his widow immediately suggested they all vacation together. My co-founder Sparsh Ahuja's family was saved during Partition riots by Muslim neighbours in what is now Pakistan. When we visited, he heard for the first time their side of the story — how they hid his family in their barn when mobs came looking for Hindus to kill. Project Dastaan showed me how Partition severed connections that persisted despite official hostility. Reconnecting families made me want to explore how these borders came to be – not just 1947 but all the partitions that shattered the Indian Empire. The way that India is defined by the British is very clearly laid out in the Interpretation Act of 1889: that everything ruled and governed under the Viceroy will be defined as part of India. This includes both directly ruled British India as well as the princely states and protectorates: all these maharajas, nawabs, sultans and sheikhs who had handed over their foreign policy and defence to the Indian government, though they ranged from being internally completely independent to having significant state involvement like Jaipur. States such as Bhutan and Sikkim were very much internally independent with only minor British interference. The definition was simply the territories inherited by the East India Company. Everything ruled by the East India Company in 1858 was nationalised by the Crown, though random distant territories such as Hong Kong and Singapore were separated within the first few years. What's remarkable is that this vast swathe from Yemen to Burma was given Indian passports. In the book, I've included a picture of an Indian passport given to a Yemeni Jewish woman who wanted to migrate to Mandate Palestine after the Balfour Declaration. To think that in order to migrate from Yemen you had to get an Indian passport is bizarre. The way nationalists have written history presents India as this ancient thing called Bharat Varsha, with geography from the Mahabharata that remained constant. But the British were just conquering random territories based on economic sense, not on 'Indianness'. Gandhi and other nationalists were certain independent India should stretch from Sindh to Assam, but when Gandhi went to Burma he argued for its separation. Hindu nationalists from the Mahasabha said Arabian states shouldn't be part of India because Arabia was a separate civilisation. Modern India traces its origins to this Bharat idea that excludes places the British conquered but nationalists don't consider part of India. Also, Yemen and Burma have been racked by civil war, their archives often burnt, so few historians have looked into them. In the Gulf, historian James Onley discovered that 99 per cent of Qatar's history is kept in the Bombay archives. He wrote The Arabian Frontier of the British Raj (2007) because these areas never appeared on maps of British India – it was always kept somewhat secret. Of all the characters, Jinnah was the most surprising and complex. In the 1920s, he was considered the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity — Sarojini Naidu gave him a trophy with that title. He married 'Rutti', a much younger Parsi woman, believing in interfaith marriage, but she was ostracised by her community. This disillusioned him about India moving past religious boundaries. Later, as a leading Congressman, he was overshadowed by Gandhi and Nehru who treated him poorly. We're used to the Jinnah of the 1940s, but in the 1920s he was a secular man who ate pork, drank whiskey, and had a Parsi wife. His transformation into the founder of the first Islamic republic is fascinating. In 1946, he accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan where Pakistan would exist as a province within a united India — like countries within the United Kingdom today. It is fascinating to think how much bloodshed could have been avoided had this gone through. Gandhi and Jinnah ultimately pulled out of this idea. It was Hindu nationalism, Muslim nationalism — all of them. But Hindu nationalists wanted a nation resembling Bharat Varsha. The idea of Bharat Mata is key to why Burma and Arabia were separated. Nationalist maps of Bharat Mata never included these areas. The British, seeing India might soon be independent, considered separating these regions to maintain economic control, knowing nationalists didn't want them. Fascinatingly, there were nationalists in Burma and Yemen who saw themselves as Indian and wanted to remain part of India, but figures such as Mahatma Gandhi pushed against this. U Ottama, a Burmese Buddhist monk who became Savarkar's predecessor in the Hindu Mahasabha, argued that Burma was part of Bharat and that Buddhism was part of Hinduism, but was booed down at Mahasabha meetings and eventually resigned. He actually pushed me to write this as a book. Originally it was a documentary project with National Geographic, but when Covid hit and we could not film, he suggested turning it into a book. He read two drafts – one after my first draft and one before final submission. But my mother was the real editor-in-chief, reading everything meticulously. My father's work focuses on medieval through early modern history, while mine relies heavily on oral histories, techniques I learned from mentors such as Aanchal Malhotra and Kavita Puri who specialise in Partition testimonies. That said, I owe my historical interest to him dragging me around Rajasthan's hill forts, Bengal's delta, and Kerala's theyyam dancers since childhood. I've lived in Delhi for 22 years because he moved us here. I do not see them in conflict at all. Globally, academic historians do research while others popularise it accessibly. My book uses sources in eight languages from multiple archives, as rigorous as any academic work, but written for general readers. It reveals new research like Burma and Dubai's separation from India. Good popular history like films about Rome builds on scholarship. The distinction is when popular works lack footnotes or obscure sources — but you can absolutely write academically rigorous history for the public. Aishwarya Khosla is a journalist currently serving as Deputy Copy Editor at The Indian Express. Her writings examine the interplay of culture, identity, and politics. She began her career at the Hindustan Times, where she covered books, theatre, culture, and the Punjabi diaspora. Her editorial expertise spans the Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Online desks. She was the recipient of the The Nehru Fellowship in Politics and Elections, where she studied political campaigns, policy research, political strategy and communications for a year. She pens The Indian Express newsletter, Meanwhile, Back Home. Write to her at or You can follow her on Instagram: @ink_and_ideology, and X: @KhoslaAishwarya. ... Read More
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Murder, he wrote
It was a March night in 2011, when Saraswati, a newly-married wife, asked her husband to take her to a movie the next morning. Her husband, Ravi, felt happy that Saraswati had proposed this as he felt she had not opened up to him after their marriage. Ravi thought of this as an opportunity to get to know her better. Little did the poor soul know this was a plan hatched by his wife and her paramour to kill him. As it turned out, Saraswati's lover Karan with the help of his driver dumped his body in Rajasthan's Bhiwadi after the crime. It took nine years for the Delhi police to crack the case. They used a narco-analysis test on the accused to unveil the truth. Former Navy officer, screenplay writer, actor and entrepreneur Kulpreet Yadav documents it in his latest book Dial 100 (HarperCollins), along with six other crime stories spread across the nation. Yadav's acting credits include Jawan, Sirf Ek Banda Kafi Hain, and A Husband's Story, among others, and his screenplay writing includes Olive Green +ve, a web series released on the Waves app of Prasar Bharati. All these cases have the police in common and the cracking of all the cases with the help of technology. 'Our police have to deal with many problems. There are only 150 officers for approx 1,00,000 citizens—so it's a case of overwork. A single police officer has to be involved in investigating multiple cases at the same time. We are also laggards in training. This book covers incidents where they put forward their best efforts. In all these cases, they used technology (CCTV, DNA sampling, narco-analysis test, and other techniques) to catch criminals,' says Yadav. From the very first page, the stories unfold like cinema. 'I have been a screenwriter for three years, so the visual aspect is an important part of my storytelling,' says Yadav. The Delhi connection The book fictionalises three true crime cases with Delhi as setting. The first one is a rape and murder of a minor girl; the second one involves the killing of a newly-married man by his wife and her lover' and the third one is a case of job scam. 'There are many 'famous' crimes that have happened in Delhi, and those have been well discussed. However, many interesting angles often lie hidden in so-called 'smaller' cases. I decided to talk about them,' says Yadav. The three Delhi cases involved cross-border travel and technology so as to get hold of the criminals. For instance, the case of the rape and the murder of the young girl brought up the India-Nepal extradition treaty. 'These cases also fascinated me because the cops showed their human side during investigation. The extradition treaty, signed in the '50s, includes a lot of bureaucratic hassles. However, the cops went to Nepal to catch the criminal because they were pained to see the girl's parents waiting outside the police station. In the Delhi-Alwar murder case, the way the cops utilised the lie-detector test and the narco analysis test, interested me. At first, they neither had the permission nor had the wherewithal to use these two to make the killer confess the crime. So, again, it was the patience of the cops and their brilliance that helped the criminals get caught,' adds Yadav. Crisply told Crisp writing and the short staccato sentences of the book will also appeal to the reader. 'I have been a writer for 19 years, and I have understood that for the majority of Indians, English is not their first language, and many find it difficult to understand. That's the reason I have always tried to write in an English that is easy to understand. I do not want to impress my readers with my language skills. Instead, I want them to be impressed by the story that I am telling,' says Yadav. In Dial 100, Yadav has also used conversation as a device to re-imagine and flesh out the story. For instance, before killing her husband, Saraswati indulges in a romantic conversation with him and gently requests him to take her out the next day. 'Without changing the main facts of the stories, certain scenes have been recreated, and certain dialogues have been introduced, so that they build up suspense for what happens next without giving the game away,' concludes Yadav.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Review: ‘Another Day in Landour: Looking Out from My Window' by Ruskin Bond
Image: I restarted journaling last week after a gap – a direct result of how much I enjoyed reading Ruskin Bond 's 'Another Day in Landour : Looking Out From My Window'. This book published by Harper Collins is a compilation from the popular author's journals over the last couple of years. Journaling is both a creative and cathartic exercise, and reading another's journal, especially Ruskin Bond's, becomes a source of joy and comfort. Ruskin's meandering thoughts and snippets about everyday life, shared with his trademark wit and humour makes for a very interesting read. The author reflects on varied topics -- the changing seasons, Nature's bounty, his favourite foods, small physical ailments, a lizard that slides down his shirt, the leaking roof of his bedroom-cum-study, his love of sweet plums and authentic meatballs, his evening Vodka and OJ, and of course his beloved adopted family (the book is dedicated to them). Here and there you will find Ruskin's thoughts on the goings-on in the world – a forest fire, the death of the Queen ('Who's left to remember lost empires?'), nations going to war, the environment and other matters, but these are more or less brushed away with a witty or reflective comment. 'Nature does everything to perfection…Only man is an alien. A mixture of brilliance and folly, often leading to tragedy. Now trying to escape to another planet.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo The success of Ruskin Bond's writing is in its relatability and his direct connect with the reader. His journal is no different – here, in talking to himself, he comes across as a friend, sharing his days and thoughts, allowing a generous peek at the world through his unique perspective, and generally reflecting over the simple beauty of everyday life with warmth, nostalgia and gentle humour. Never for a moment do you feel like an outsider. From his worry about the gout that doesn't allow him to write without pain, to his delight in nougat and caramel fillings and juicy, sweet plums, a few of which he puts away, but not too many, because 'too many plums give you the runs,' to his gentle admonishments regarding our cavalier attitude towards Earth and the environment – you feel it all. Never judgmental, Ruskin is not beyond the occasional grandfatherly rap on the knuckle, and can, on occasion, slide to the caustic, as he does with a fitness enthusiast, a community he sees as 'fanatical know-alls'. 'She gave me up for a gone case and strode off, looking for another victim. She was a skinny woman in her forties, probably envious of all my fat.' Everyone must read Ruskin Bond – young, middle-aged, and certainly the old. To the young, Ruskin imparts a love of the simple things of life and a deep, grounded love of Nature; to the middle-aged, he shows that there is life beyond the hurry and scurry of each day, and to the old, he demonstrates by example how to live a wonderfully happy, contented life as we near our slower years. To those who wonder how they will keep themselves suitably engaged in their old lives, Ruskin's simple life bolstered by his high thinking and the small window in his room in Ivy Cottage, Landour, can be a source of great inspiration. It is the simple joys of everyday life that keep Ruskin engaged happily. 'For an old man who can't go out very often, the window is his lifeline to the rest of the world. As time goes by, the window increases in importance. The sky by day, the stars by night: they are always there, constant in their companionship….' Ruskin has built his life around this window, which opens out to the sky and the rest of the world. This is where his inspiration seeps in from, this is where he draws life lessons from. In his adopted family he finds all the love and comfort he could possibly hope for -- they cook and clean for him, give him companionship and take care of him, while the children take him on outings and bring back stories of the outside world to stir his imaginings further, and also introduce him to young tastes. 'Ate a jam paratha for the first time. Recommended by Siddharth and Shrishti. It consists of jam (in this case apricot jam) in a rolled-up paratha. Ugh!' What endears him further to readers is that Ruskin, despite his success and fame, has not assumed any airs, and remains humble and easily approachable to his fans, living in a humble cottage in Mussoorie, struggling up 'the most uneven steps in all of Landour. Twenty-two of them, all uneven. Still, they discourage too many visitors'. This last sentence is so typical of Ruskin and his writing – always finding the positive in every negative, hope before despair. When he talks of how the windows in Delhi lack a view, opening onto neighbours' walls, even there he finds a positive! 'Even a wall can be interesting though. There were cracks in the wall where a lizard had made its home. In the space between the wall and the roof, pigeons had made their nest. Their gentle cooing was background music to my thoughts. And during the rainy season, small plants took root in various places, and a dandelion flowered and offered me a wish.' Full of such positive ruminations and celebrating the small pleasures of everyday living, Ruskin Bond's journal, full of warm reflections, humorous anecdotes, literary allusions and interesting turns of phrase, punctuated by his witty undertone, is a must read for all! 'I have slept beside this window since 1980, and I hope to spend a few more days and nights beside it before going into the great unknown. Can a window give you stories and poems and essays and memories over a period of many years? In many ways this one has been at the heart of my writing.' --------------------------------------------------------- Book: Another Day in Landour: Looking Out From My Window Author: Ruskin Bond Publisher: HarperCollins ------------------------------------------------------------------ One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
New Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Murder,he wrote
It was a March night in 2011, when Saraswati, a newly-married wife, asked her husband to take her to a movie the next morning. Her husband, Ravi, felt happy that Saraswati had proposed this as he felt she had not opened up to him after their marriage. Ravi thought of this as an opportunity to get to know her better. Little did the poor soul know this was a plan hatched by his wife and her paramour to kill him. As it turned out, Saraswati's lover Karan with the help of his driver dumped his body in Rajasthan's Bhiwadi after the crime. It took nine years for the Delhi police to crack the case. They used a narco-analysis test on the accused to unveil the truth. Former Navy officer, screenplay writer, actor and entrepreneur Kulpreet Yadav documents it in his latest book Dial 100 (HarperCollins), along with six other crime stories spread across the nation. Yadav's acting credits include Jawan, Sirf Ek Banda Kafi Hain, and A Husband's Story, among others, and his screenplay writing includes Olive Green +ve, a web series released on the Waves app of Prasar Bharati. All these cases have the police in common and the cracking of all the cases with the help of technology. 'Our police have to deal with many problems. There are only 150 officers for approx 1,00,000 citizens—so it's a case of overwork. A single police officer has to be involved in investigating multiple cases at the same time. We are also laggards in training. This book covers incidents where they put forward their best efforts. In all these cases, they used technology (CCTV, DNA sampling, narco-analysis test, and other techniques) to catch criminals,' says Yadav. From the very first page, the stories unfold like cinema. 'I have been a screenwriter for three years, so the visual aspect is an important part of my storytelling,' says Yadav.
NBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Ketanji Brown Jackson's $2 million book payment among Supreme Court's new financial disclosures
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices on Tuesday issued their financial disclosure reports for 2024, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson revealing she made more than $2 million from the publisher of her bestselling memoir, "Lovely One." Jackson, who received the book advance from Penguin Random House, is one of several justices with side-gigs as authors. Justice Neil Gorsuch reported a $250,000 advance from HarperCollins, which published a book he co-authored called "Over Ruled," and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who has written several books received a new $60,000 advance from Penguin Random House. Sotomayor has now earned close to $4 million in total from her books, according to ethics watchdog Fix the Court. Jackson received a total of almost $3 million from her publisher for "Lovely One," including a $900,000 payment in 2023. Other justices earn extra cash teaching. Both Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Justice Brett Kavanaugh taught at Notre Dame Law School, with each earning just over $30,000. Barrett, who used to be a law professor at Notre Dame, has her own book coming out this year. Gorsuch earned the same amount teaching at George Mason University. Justice Clarence Thomas, who faced criticism in recent years for luxury travel he did not disclose, reported no outside income. One member of the court, Justice Samuel Alito, asked for a 90-day extension to file his report, as is allowed under law.
