Narayani Basu, historian and foreign policy analyst will be speaking at the International Centre Goa (ICG) on Saturday, December 13 at 6pm. The event which is free and open to the public is part of ICG’s “writers studio” initiative.
Narayani’s current area of interest focuses on highlighting the lesser-known, key players behind the story of Indian independence. This has seen her publish a biography in 2020 on VP Menon, India’s last Reforms Commissioner. Menon, played a central role behind the scenes, of the transfer of power in India in 1947.
Titled The Unsung Architect of Modern India, this book has been reprinted three times since its publication and has been optioned for a web-series.
Likewise, in 2021, Narayani wrote an essay, titled Ambassador, on CB Muthamma, India’s first female diplomat, who played a revolutionary role in asserting women’s rights in the Indian Foreign Service, enabling other women, such as Nirupama Menon Rao to follow in her footsteps.
This was followed by an e-book, titled Allegiance: Azaadi and the End of Empire in 2022. The book focused on Shah Nawaz Khan, Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon and Prem Kumar Sahgal, the three officers of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, who were brought to trial on charges of treason at the Red Fort in the winter of 1945.
More recently, Narayani has published a biography on Sardar KM Panikkar, titled A Man for All Seasons: The Life of K.M. Panikkar. Panikkar was India’s first ambassador to Nationalist China in 1948. He was the architect of India’s federal model and independent India’s maritime policy, besides serving the princely states of Patiala, Kashmir and Bikaner.
Narayani writes extensively for Indian and international publications on subjects ranging from history and politics to foreign policy. Some of her more recent work has appeared in The Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Scroll, Contingent Magazine and Wire.
Her upcoming project is Renegade: The Life of TN Seshan, India’s most forthright and determined Election Commissioner (to be published by HarperCollins India in October 2026).
