Dinyar Patel

I'll be delivering a talk this Thursday on "Dadabhai Naoroji at 200," marking the two-hundredth birth anniversary of one of the world's pioneering anticolonial figures. 14 August, 6pm, CSMVS Museum, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai. See images for details.

11.08.2025 06:19 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Panic and fear: How Bombay experienced the Great Uprising of 1857 The alarm and fright in the city revealed the brittle, ultimately ephemeral nature of the British empire – the most powerful empire in world history.

How did Bombay experience the Uprising or Mutiny of 1857? Find out in my latest piece in @scroll.in, where I describe how fear and panic shaped the British response in the city: scroll.in/article/1084...

27.07.2025 14:23 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

‘Gods, Guns and Missionaries’ by Manu S. Pillai review

My review of Manu S. Pillai's Gods, Guns, and Missionaries is now out in @historytoday.com: www.historytoday.com/archive/revi...

25.07.2025 15:35 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

We are proud to announce that South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories, a landmark educational website on the histories of South Asians in Britain, is now live!

Visit southasianbritain.org

@qmul.bsky.social @bristoluni.bsky.social @britishlibrary.bsky.social #AHRC @uobartsmatter.bsky.social

22.07.2025 08:00 — 👍 49    🔁 40    💬 1    📌 5

Podcast: The radical legacy of the 19th century ‘Young Bengal’ movement Though mocked for their dietary and drinking habits, the group set a template for progressive reform that resonates in India even today, says Rosinka Chaudhuri.

Young Bengal was infamous for hard drinking and a propensity to fling beefsteaks into the houses of orthodox Brahmins. Rosinka Chaudhuri scratches beyond this surface, however, to discover their remarkable politics and principles. Listen here: scroll.in/article/1084...

17.07.2025 06:45 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Thanks to @scroll.in for carrying!

16.07.2025 07:09 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Podcast: The radical legacy of the 19th century ‘Young Bengal’ movement Though mocked for their dietary and drinking habits, the group set a template for progressive reform that resonates in India even today, says Rosinka Chaudhuri.

What was Young Bengal and why was it so controversial? Find out more in our newest Past Imperfect podcast with Rosinka Chaudhuri, author of India's First Radicals, the most comprehensive treatment of a generation which shaped modern India: scroll.in/article/1084...

16.07.2025 07:09 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

India’s Visionary Engineer The career of M. Visvesvaraya, arch-technocrat and statesman, throws much light on how India embraced the idea of modernisation through industrialisation.

The career of M. Visvesvaraya, arch-technocrat and statesman, throws much light on how India embraced the idea of modernisation through industrialisation. Aashique Iqbal reviews Aparajith Ramnath's book
www.theindiaforum.in/book-reviews...

01.07.2025 05:17 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Dadabhai Naoroji started a newspaper to push for reform in Bombay. It was called Truth Teller Dadabhai Naoroji was part of the 'Young Bombay' reformist clique group, which had progressive views on women’s education and rationalisation of religious practices.

I speak to ThePrint on Dadabhai Naoroji's career as a journalist, specifically with Rast Goftar, on his death anniversary. theprint.in/theprint-pro...

30.06.2025 10:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

For historian Jim Masselos (1940-2025), Mumbai was a city that was both his archive and his muse Masselos wrote about the world of the urban mohalla, crowds and popular culture, and the changing rhythms of everyday life in the city.

Prashant Kidambi writes about Jim Masselos, the historian who spent six decades detailing so many aspects of Bombay's history, who passed away this week: scroll.in/article/1083...

27.06.2025 05:59 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Last November, I moderated a discussion with @willdalrymple.bsky.social and @janeohlmeyer.bsky.social on Ireland, India, and the British Empire at Literature Live! in Mumbai. If you missed the session, you can now see it online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK8N...

16.06.2025 13:31 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Podcast: In the history of modern Hindu identity, the failure and triumph of Hindutva In conversation with host Dinyar Patel, historian Manu S Pillai examines how actors from Voltaire to VD Savarkar influenced one of the world’s oldest faiths.

Our latest episode of Past Imperfect, a podcast on global and Indian history, features Manu S. Pillai. We talk about the genesis of modern Hindu identity over the past 400 years--and the long roots of Hindu nationalism. scroll.in/article/1083...

16.06.2025 06:08 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0