Building an Empire

The podcast Empire sees author William Dalrymple talking about the rise and fall of powers, and how it still shapes the way the world functions today. Pic/Getty Images

Much of human history can be documented through ruling empires, which is the subject of a new podcast hosted by Delhi-based Scottish historian and author William Dalrymple, and British broadcast journalist and author, Anita Anand. Aptly named Empire, the duo chat about the rise and fall of powers, and how it still shapes the way the world functions today.

It starts with an initial focus on the British empire in India, and will eventually further expand on general imperialism. At the time of writing this article, the podcast had three episodes: The first opens with the birth and rise of the East India Company. It explores how a single corporation operating out of an office in London (with only a handful of employees) took over the Mughal empire and became an imperial power in the subcontinent.

Ironically, both Dalrymple and Anand are products of the British empire - she, an Indian in Britain; and he, a Brit who's lived most of his life in India. From the get go, they address why they've chosen to record this. "The British moved on, and they like to believe they left their colonising past behind them. Today, it's an enormous chapter that isn't spoken about anymore… especially in classrooms and textbooks. With ‘empire' being a rather controversial and politically incorrect word, it got tucked into the attic in 1947," they jointly lament.

For those who find history fascinating, but can't plough through tomes, this podcast retells stories in an everyday, conversational-style. And, a large part of it throws light on politics today.

Anand and Dalrymple discuss how Mughal India generated a quarter of the world's GDP compared to Britain (1.8 per cent) when the East India Company came to India. This was largely due to the textile industry, which would be moved to Lancashire in the 19th century. It's baffling how a small group of adventures outnumbered a subcontinent, wealthy in both people and wealth. But Dalrymple points out how it is eerily similar to the handful of corporate giants today, who lobby laws across the globe and eventually win in every nation.

The duo, who also co-wrote Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond in 2017 - push back on the romantic, white-washed image of colonial history, once propagated through Merchant Ivory films. Setting fire to celluloid, the duo eventually plan to take on all manner of empires - Syrian, Roman, Persian, Byzantine and the slavery and scramble for Africa.

WHAT: Empire, hosted by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand
WHERE: Apple Podcasts or Spotify
WHEN: Every Tuesday