Congratulations on being shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize 2024 for Shadows at Noon. How does it feel to be shortlisted and what would winning mean to you?
It feels unreal to be shortlisted and to join the ranks of shortlisted authors I have read over the years. The book I wrote was a strange book, I recognise that. For it to win would be a great boost for South Asian public history in Britain.
For someone who is interested in the history of South Asia, what wider content – for example books, places and films – would you recommend?
Books: there are no short overviews that cover all three countries. But for the Raj era, a strong book is C.A. Bayly’s Indian Society and the Making of the British Empire. Engaging books about themes in the 20th century include Nayanika Mathur’s Paper Tiger and Yasmin Khan’s The Great Partition.
If you like cities, visit very old ones like Delhi and Lahore and eat as many kebabs as you can (for vegetarians, harabhara (full of green) kababs are fabulous).
Watch films. Kaagaz ke Phool (1959), Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam (1962), Garam Hawa (1973), Deewar (1975), Zanjeer (1973), Sholay (1975), Silsila, (1981) and Parinda (1989). Also Umrao Jaan (1981) and Pakeeza (1979). And if you want some spectacular realism, watch Satyajit Ray’s Charulata (1964).
The Wolfson Foundation awards grants to a wide variety of museums, historic buildings and landscapes. Do you have a favourite historical place, or a place that has inspired you?
I have been inspired by the Qutub Minar in Delhi. It represents history for me.
But since the Qutub, which is a tower, can hardly be recognised, the library/archive for which I hold the most affection is the Centre of South Asian Studies Library and Archive in Cambridge.
Read an extract from Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century.
Top images: ‘Shadows at Noon’ book cover; portrait of Joya Chatterji (c) Tara McManus
