Rewriting the Empire: an interview with Shrabani Basu

A million and half soldiers from undivided India were involved in the First World War. This is a figure that London-based journalist and historian Shrabani Basu, one of the more popular speakers at this year's Galle Literary Festival, often makes a point of including in her public talks. All four books Basu has authored have tried to shed light on aspects of British colonial encounter with India that have been ignored in most readings of that history. In Spy Princess: The life of Noor Inayat Khan and For King and Another Country: Indian soldiers on the Western front 1914-1918, Basu looks at contributions made by officers and soldiers from undivided India in the two world wars. Her latest Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant – an account of the close personal relationship between Queen Victoria and Abdul Karim, her attendant from India– has become a commercially successful film with two Academy Award nominations. Chhetria Patrakar met Basu for a short interview at the Galle Lit Fest. The interview has been edited for concision.

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Chhetria Patrakar: Could you tell us how you transitioned from being a journalist to a historian?

Shrabani Basu: I'm still a journalist so I've not left the day job. I still work as a journalist. So that remains with me. The transition was very easy because I studied history in university. I love history. And even as a journalist I loved doing features which had slightly historical themes, apart from all the coverage one does. So it was quite easy for me. I naturally went in that direction.