But in some ways I’ve been thinking about these issues for decades, since my student days. How long did it take you to research and write the book? About a year from July 2015 to July/August 2016. Historical material is available to everyone who’s willing to look for it, but perhaps it’s been taught inadequately, and that’s why it might be useful to people to have these arguments in one place, both to read and subsequently to refer to.Ģ. A lot of the popular histories of the British Empire in the last decade or two, by the likes of Niall Ferguson and Lawrence James, have painted colonialism in rosy colours, and this needed to be challenged. So though the idea to base a book on my speech came from my publisher, David Davidar, I didn’t need much persuading. What was the trigger behind writing this book? Well, I’ve always been fascinated by Indian history, and had passionate views about it.

An Era of Darkness is said to be inspired from your speech at Oxford, which went viral in 2015. We got in touch with Dr Shashi Tharoor to discuss about his latest book.

It is an extension of his speech on ‘Britain Owes Reparations to Her Former Colonies’ delivered at the Oxford Union in 2015, which went viral on the internet last year. The book discusses in depth, ways in which the British nearly destroyed India during their 200 years rule, along with interesting facts and anecdotes to support the author’s arguments. MP for Thiruvananthapuram, former diplomat and author of 15 books, Dr Shashi Tharoor’s new book ' An Era of Darkness: The British Empire In India' is out this November.

Shashi tharoor book on british rule