Romila Thapar: Doyenne and Dissenter
A long, intimate profile of India's most renowned – and increasingly, villified – historian. At 94, she continues to defy a regime determined to erase pluralism and dissent from India’s past
About
Hello, and thanks for visiting. I’m an essayist, journalist and author living in India, writing mainly about its politics, culture and history. I’ve covered many of its big cities, and reported from its conflict zones. My work occasionally extends into producing or presenting audio, video and non-fiction film.
Writing
Essays
Diary: Looking for Indraprastha
Digging into the theory that the mythic city of the Pandavas, from the epic Mahabharata, lies right underneath New Delhi
Farewell to Shaheen Bagh, as Political Togetherness Yields to Social Distance
For a hundred days, Delhi had a living heart – an inclusive, peaceful protest that resisted every kind of provocation. Yet there was also a risk to the Shaheen Bagh…
Writing
Reporting & OpEds
The Clear Night Sky Over India and China’s Hostile Border
In a region torn by conflict, what’s overhead offers hope for the future.
The Diverging Paths of Two Young Women Foretell the Fate of a Tribe in India
The paradox of India's approach to tribal education through residential schools.
Confessions of a Killer Policeman
A Guardian long-read about Herojit, a policeman in Manipur and his turn away from a career as one of India's most lethal extra-judicial executioner.
Writing
Books & Chapters
The Ghost in the Kimono
"The Ghost in the Kimono: Tales of War and Forgotten South-Southeast Asian History" / ผีในชุดกิโมโน : เรื่องเล่าของสงครามกับประวัติศาสตร์เอเชียใต้และเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ที่ถูกหลงลืม is a collection of many of my essays on WW2, translated into Thai…
Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War
The photographs of three young men had stood in his grandmother’s house for as long as he could remember, ‘beheld but not noticed, as angels are in a frieze of…
Audio
Radio & Podcasts
First We Read: The Odyssey
Supriya and I agreed to read the Odyssey in the summer of 2026, before watching any hypothetical Hollywood adaptations. Over six weeks, reading four books at a time, we read…
ListenWith the Lit Pickers: Archiving the World of Girish Karnad
Supriya and Deepanjana in conversation with Raghu on curating an Instagram archive for his father, Girish Karnad.
ListenFriend of the Court, presented by the Anil Divan Foundation
I narrate a podcast on landmarks of India's constitutional law and history, co-written with a great team of lawyers and researchers from the Anil Divan Foundation.
Listen
Video
Film & Video
Conversation with TM Krishna @ G5A Mumbai
Slow conversation on music, song and activism as part of the Voice & Responsibility anniversary weekend at G5A
Watch
Bad Boy Billionaires, Ep. 1 The Vijay Mallya Story | Netflix
I appeared in the popular Netflix docu-series, which was based in part on my reporting, and was a consultant during its development.
Watch
In 5 Minutes: The First Month of India Rising Against CAA-NRC
I produced the Wire’s highlight-reel of the first month of India's inspiring protests against CAA-NRC.
Watch
Connect