Manu Pillai

Manu S. Pillai is the author of The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore (2015), Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji), and most recently, The Courtesan, the Mahatma & the Italian Brahmin: Tales from Indian History (2019). Formerly chief of staff to Dr Shashi Tharoor MP, he has in the past worked at the House of Lords in Britain, and with the BBC on their Incarnations history series. Written over six years and researched in three continents, Manu’s first book, The Ivory Throne won the 2017 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar. His other writings have appeared in The Hindu, Open Magazine, the Times of India, Hindustan Times, The New Statesman, Mint Lounge and other publications.

Attending Session

January 22, 2020 ● 1:50 pm
When The Lions Write-Colony in Indian Ink - Shashi Tharoor and Sudeep Chakravarti in conversation with Manu Pillai

January 22, 2020 ● 6 pm
2020 Vision: Reading and writing India - Amitav Ghosh in conversation with Manu Pillai

January 23, 2020 ● 2:45 pm
The Courtesan, The Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin - Manu Pillai talks about the hidden mosaic of characters behind emperors and invaders. In conversation with Avik Chanda