Manu S. Pillai

Manu S. Pillai is a historian and the author of five books, most recently Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity (2024). A winner of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, he holds a Ph.D. in history from King’s College London and has been writing for several national publications over the last 10 years. His other books are The Ivory Throne (2015), Rebel Sultans (2018), The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin (2019), and False Allies (2021).

Latest from Manu S. Pillai

Mukund Padmanabhan

‘World War II and Japan’s entry at the end of 1941 divided the Congress,’ says Mukund Padmanabhan

The Stupa at Sanchi, near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, was originally commissioned by king Ashoka.

“I don’t think Ashoka’s dharma is a simple recasting of the Buddhist dharma,” says author Patrick Olivelle

‘The World: A Family History is the most daunting and yet the most satisfying book I’ve written,’ says Simon Sebag Montefiore.

Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore in conversation with author Manu S. Pillai on his new book, The World: A Family History

Sharma’s book in a sense is also a means to reflect on how much difference a ‘great’ man could realistically make through will and persona.

Parvati Sharma’s Akbar of Hindustan review: Akbar in different shades

Malabar rebellion | The many shades of the Mappila insurrection

‘The Tale of the Horse: A History of India on Horseback’ review: Reimagining the horse and its unique place in Indian history

Illustration: R. Rajesh

Padmanabhaswamy temple | The fusion of the divine and the dynastic

‘A Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of V.K. Krishna Menon’ review: The politics of V.K. Krishna Menon

Parvathi Ravi Varma with her husband, Ravi Varma

Obituary | Parvathi Ravi Varma, the Travancore princess whose marriage created a sensation

‘Dara Shukoh – The Man Who Would Be King’ review: A man of the world

Illustration: Deepak Harichandan

The Paliath Achans, a Cochin family that was once richer than the Maharajas

The Harappans were themselves a mix of the early Indians and Iranian immigrants: Tony Joseph.

We are like pizza. Early Indians were just the base: Tony Joseph

At home: Indians celebrating Australia Day at Melbourne City Centre.

'Sunita De Souza Goes to Sydney' review: on foreign shores, with peeling skin

Illustration by Satwik Gade

Muddupalani, the woman who had no reason for shame

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