Energizing India (South Asian Studies Council)

In this talk, I will be presenting my book proposal which is tentatively titled, ‘Currents of Change: A History of Electricity in India, 1900-2000’. The book builds on my doctoral dissertation and explores the histories of power generation, the problems of building infrastructural networks and the tensions around the uses of electric appliances. Using case studies from different parts of the country, it demonstrates the expectations, anxieties, advantages and the inconveniences associated with the arrival and spread of electricity. In so doing, it argues that electrification in India cannot be understood without considering the socio-cultural diversity of the country. Along with the proposal, I will also be sharing one of the chapters from the ongoing book project.

 

Speaker bio: I did my B.A. in history and M.A. in modern history from Presidency College, Kolkata, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. I was trained to think across disciplines at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta. I recently finished my Ph.D. on the history of electrification in India at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. I was awarded the Inlaks Research and Travel Grant for archival research in Britain and have presented sections of my work at Cambridge University, London School of Economics and Political Science and Yale University.