Memories of Belonging: Images from the Colony and Beyond

Memories of belonging can be read as a collection of slightly offbeat musings on certain aspects of over a century and a half of India’s history. Whether the photograph, lithograph, painting or cartoon is the focus or illustrates a point or an argument, the visual is integral to each piece. A rough historical sense divides the volume into three sections: the first sets the stage for the appearance of the colonial state – not through the usual tropes of political and economic domination but more with vignettes about institutions, people and unusual choices. The second section is a whimsical journey through the country while the final section is all about modes of travel used by a century and a half of people on the move, beginning with the Palki and ending with experiences of the railways. Through its easy style, well-chosen visuals and details peppered with anecdotes, the reader will quickly journey through colonial India into its more recent past, garnering interesting and often little-known facts and snippets along the way.