Manu S Pillai

An alumnus of Fergusson College, Pune, with a PhD in history from King’s College London, Dr. Pillai is an acclaimed author, renowned for “The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore” (2015), “Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji” (2018), “The Courtesan, the Mahatma & the Italian Brahmin: Tales from Indian History” (2019), and the latest, “False Allies: India’s Maharajahs in the Age of Ravi Varma” (2021). Former Chief of Staff to Dr Shashi Tharoor MP, Pillai’s dynamic career includes roles at the House of Lords and with the BBC’s “Incarnations” series. A Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar recipient, his diverse writings have graced prominent publications including The Hindu, Open Magazine, the Times of India, Hindustan Times, and The New Statesman, among others.