THE END OF EMPIRE

Swapna Liddle paints a portrait of Delhi at the cusp of the East India Company's takeover

- Naorem Anuja

THE BROKEN SCRIPT

by Swapna Liddle

SPEAKING TIGER ₹899; 456 pages

When empires reach their end, their brand of civilisation often clashes with the one now assuming guard. The Broken Script draws an exhaustive account of Delhi from 1803 to shortly after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, under the de facto rule of the British East India Company, responding to the power shifts under way in this tumultuous period. The Mughal empire had devolved from ruling large swathes of the country to being a mere delegator of power, while the colonial power continued to shapeshift, growing in political and military might.