FOR ALL WITH AN INTEREST IN THE HISTORY
OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY AND THE BRITISH RAJ
The British in India Historical Trust presents live and online lectures by authors of recently published books of interest to descendants of the British in South Asia between 1600 and 1947 and all who want to know more about the East India Company and the British Raj. The proceeds from lectures fund annual book prizes for excellence in non-fiction historical writing on British India.
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Online lectures run from November to April and this year's programme is here. They are broadcast via Zoom and are available UK-wide and to an international audience. Lectures from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 series have been uploaded to YouTube as a free resource for all who are interested in the history of the British in South Asia. The playlist is available here.​​​
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The British in India's fourth live event for 2025 will be a lunchtime lecture, 'Britain's Man on the Spot' on Tuesday 25 November at the University Women's Club. A two-course meal will be available afterwards for those who would like to stay. Further details are available here.
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If you would like to be informed when booking opens for live and online lectures, and are not already on our mailing list, please sign up for news of lectures at the foot of this page.
FEATURED LECTURE
TUESDAY 26 MAY 2026 11.30pm -1.00pm (LIVE)
Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia
Sam Dalrymple
University Women's Club, 2 Audley Square, Mayfair, London W1K 1DB
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As recently as 1928 India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait were bound together as the Indian Empire. It was the British Empire’s crown jewel: a vast dominion stretching from the Red Sea to the jungles of Southeast Asia, home to a quarter of the world’s population.​
And then, in the space of just fifty years, the Indian Empire shattered. Five partitions tore it apart: carving out new nations, redrawing maps, and leaving behind a legacy of war, exile and division.
Shattered Lands presents the story of how the Indian Empire was unmade. How a single, sprawling dominion became twelve modern nations. How maps were redrawn in boardrooms and on battlefields, by politicians in London and revolutionaries in Delhi, by kings in remote palaces and soldiers in trenches.​
Sam Dalrymple is a Scottish historian, author, film-maker and activist. He is the son of historian William Dalrymple and grew up in Delhi. He graduated from the University of Oxford as a Persian and Sanskrit scholar. His work has been published in the New York Times, TIME, New Yorker and Economist. His debut book, Shattered Lands, was an international bestseller, and a ‘Best Book of 2025’ for the Financial Times, The Week, Spectator, BBC History Magazine, History Today and Daunts.​
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This lecture is presented in association with the Indian Civil Service Society. ​
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Tea and coffee (self-serve and included in the ticket price) will be available on arrival. At 11.45 am there will be a short meeting in the Library for members of the Indian Civil Service Society (and anyone interested in joining).​
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The lecture will be presented in the Library at 12 noon. For those who would like to stay, an optional two-course meal (main course, dessert and coffee) from 1pm to 2.30pm will follow in the Drawing Room, offering an opportunity to mix and meet. Drinks can be purchased separately from the pay bar in the Drawing Room after the lecture. Dietary requirements accommodated where notified. Dress code: smart casual. All welcome.
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Tickets for the lecture cost £15. Tickets for the lecture and meal cost £65. ​
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Bookings for the meal close on 21 May.
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Bookings for the lecture close on 2 November.​
BOOK PRIZES
Proceeds from lectures fund annual prizes for non-fiction historical writing on British India: The British in India Book Prize and The British in India Military History Book Prize. The result of The British in India Book Prize 2025 is given here and the shortlist here.
