Manu S. Pillai

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Manu S. Pillai
Pillai in 2020
Pillai in 2020
Born1990 (age 33–34)
Mavelikkara, Kerala, India
OccupationWriter, historian
LanguageEnglish
NationalityIndian
Alma materFergusson College
King's College London
GenrePopular history

Manu S. Pillai (born 1990) is an Indian writer and popular historian.[1] Known for his works on the Travancore monarchy and the history of Princely India, he is most famous for his debut book, The Ivory Throne, which is about Rani Sethu Lakshmi Bhay's reign as the Regent of Travancore.

Early life and education[edit]

Manu S. Pillai was born in Mavelikkara, Kerala in 1990. He grew up in Pune. He got his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Fergusson College, Pune. He got a Master's Degree in International Relations from King's College London.

Following his education, he worked with the Parliamentary office of Shashi Tharoor in New Delhi and Lord Karan Bilimoria in London.[2] He also worked as a researcher on the BBC Series, Incarnations with Sunil Khilnani, which tells the story of India through fifty great lives. In 2017, he became a full time historian and writer.[3][4][5] He holds a PhD in history from King's College, London.[6]

Pillai is known for his debut non-fiction The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore for which he won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2017.[7][8][9] The story is expected to be adapted into a web series by Arka Mediaworks.[10] Rebel Sultans, Pillai's second work, narrates the story of the Deccan from the close of the thirteenth century to the dawn of the eighteenth century. He has released two more books since, The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin and False Allies: India's Maharajas in the Age of Ravi Varma.[11] ref>Pillai, Manu S. (27 December 2019). "I know the world is grappling with ... Announcement". @UnamPillai. Retrieved 20 January 2020.

List of works[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Balakrishnan, Paran (28 October 2021). "Manu Pillai, the wonderkid among Indian historical writers". The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Manu S Pillai and Dr Shashi Tharoor". mid-day. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  3. ^ Mallya, Vinutha (7 March 2019). "No easy answers". Pune Mirror. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  4. ^ Cris (21 January 2016). "Travancore surprises". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  5. ^ Pillai, Manu S. (1 December 2017). "Manu S. Pillai". HarperCollins Publishers: World-Leading Book Publisher. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  6. ^ "Hindu Kingship in Travancore, c. 1750-1950". Rajahs, Ranis, Deity, and Company. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Manu S Pillai, Paro Anand among winners of Sahitya Akademi awards 2017". Hindustan Times. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  8. ^ Sripathi, Apoorva (19 February 2016). "Manu Pillai's The Ivory Throne looks at the Travancore royal family". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  9. ^ Thomas, Anjali (25 January 2020). "Kerala Literature Festival: historians warn against the selective reading of the past". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. ^ Cris (20 March 2019). "'The Ivory Throne' is massive, had to be a web series: Producer Shobu Yarlagadda". The News Minute. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  11. ^ Pillai, Manu S. (27 December 2019). "I know the world is grappling with ... Announcement". @UnamPillai. Retrieved 20 January 2020.

External links[edit]