India has long drawn academics from around the world. Numerous travelers, including Fa Hien, Megasthenes, and Ferrite, have traveled to this ancient land and published books about it. India continues to draw writers of the modern era who come from all over the world to examine the country and its tales because of its diverse treasures of history, mythology, geography, anthropology, religion, and culture. We highlight a few authors with foreign backgrounds who have written on India and it’s rich past.
William Dalrymple
At first glance, there was love. An 18-year-old boy from London who had just arrived in New Delhi on business was utterly enthralled by the splendor of this city, which had been destroyed and rebuilt seven times. And so a three-decade-long love affair that is still widely talked about getting started. “I had no intention of visiting India. My initial plan was to work as an archaeologist in the Middle East, but the Iraqi dig I was assigned to was abandoned, allegedly because of a nest of British spies. So I went to India with a friend of mine. I had no particular ties to the nation before I arrived, but it was one of those life-changing events. I’m still here, thirty years later,” wrote author William Dalrymple in a National Geographic piece.
Sir William Mark Tully
In one of his interviews, Tully identified as a Dilliwala and declared, “I believe in karma. I was born British by karma, and you can’t take it away. I would adore having Indian citizenship. You cannot, however, hold dual citizenship in this nation.”
Alex Rutherford
They brought the Moghuls back from the dead and placed them on the bookshelves and television screens of many Indians. indeed they! Contrary to popular assumption, the novelists Diana and Michael Preston who write under the pen name Alex Rutherford have a passion for Indian history that dates back to their time as Oxford University students. After a surprise visit to India to see the Taj Mahal, the couple was interested in learning more about the dynasty that built the Taj and other famous monuments in India. The duo also visited the Ferghana Valley in Kyrgyzstan during their research, which is where Babur, the first Moghul ruler, started his voyage. Empire of the Moghul, a six-book historical fiction series, was thus established.
Katherine Boo
Katherine, who is still in India looking for her next subject, thinks there is still so much to learn about this historic country. “I can’t help myself, but when I’m in Mumbai these days, I find myself continuing to record cassettes about societal issues and corruption.”
News Mania Desk
