“The talk narrates the dense, ceaseless movement of Indian Army followers from Bombay to Mesopotamia (Iraq) and back, and the political consequences of this first mass circulation of South Asian labour into the Persian Gulf.” Dr Radhika Singha on her lecture for Sarmaya Talks on 9th February 2024, at Durbar Hall, The Asiatic Society of… Read more »
“The British held India by an army predominantly comprising Indian soldiers, and relied on their fidelity. This loyalty stood the test of time but was eventually breached during the Second World War, leading to India’s independence. True to Their Salt is a radical retelling of how India came to be colonized by a handful of… Read more »
“The Great War, or Jang-e-Azeem as the First World War was referred to, saw the service of over 1.3 million Indians of whom 74,000 never made it back home. For their families, the war was something they could never fathom. Soldiers from the Indian sub-continent won over 12,908 awards for bravery, including 11 Victoria Crosses.… Read more »
The National Museum of Afghanistan, standing at the crossroads of Central, Western and Eastern Asia, has been a natural home to an impressive collection of artefacts that spans over 50,000 years of history. Yet most of its collection has been destroyed or looted over four decades of war. The museum is currently at the latter… Read more »
A new exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi looks at how practices of combat and knighthood led to the development of various codes of chivalry in regions ranging from Iraq and Syria in the Eastern world, to France and Spain in the West. “Furusiyya: The Art of Chivalry Between East and West” will bring together… Read more »
The Battle of Ramnagar had one clear victor—and it wasn’t the side that created this artwork. Visit a thrilling episode from the Second Anglo-Sikh War and meet a true war hero
The Sarmaya collection holds an extensive range of Felice Beato’s work depicting the aftermath of the Uprising of 1857 in places like Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur, which bore the brunt of the violence. The devastation of Kashmere Gate in Delhi was one of the landmark moments that marked the beginning of the revolution’s end. Felice… Read more »