The Deccan was a magnet for mercenaries, for adventurers, for traders. Anyone who wanted to make a fortune came here”
Manu Pillai upends everything you know about Deccan history - and through it, much of what we believe about India
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He’s the young, hyper-talented storyteller whose first book won him the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2017, but he seems to only just be getting started.
Manu Pillai may have an entirely Macaulayesque education – including at the celebrated King’s College in London and Fergusson College in Pune – but his rigorous research and exceptional eye for the hidden historical detail makes him a force to watch. And in his second book, the fascinating Rebel Sultans, Manu trawls through 400 years of roiling history, and tells some pivotal stories of India you’ve probably haven’t heard before.
