November in nonfiction: Six new titles featuring iconic moments and fabulous histories of India

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Governors of Empire: The East India Company’s Chief Functionaries in India, Amar Farooqui

In April 1608, when a ship named Hector – belonging to the English East India Company – arrived on the shores of Surat in present-day Gujarat, no one foresaw how some of the merchants on board would go on to alter the course of history in India. From the moment of its docking to the Revolt of 1857, a succession of its eminent passengers helped transform the Company from a trading collective to a colonising juggernaut. In Governors of Empire, historian Amar Farooqui traces the journeys of each of these men undertook, from arriving on Indian shores, through acquiring territories using equal parts trade agreements and political deceit, all the way to returning to Britain considerably wealthier than before.

Beginning with Robert Clive, the self-proclaimed hero of the British imperial project who played a pivotal role in the annexation of Bengal, the book follows several important governors whose actions ultimately delivered India into the hands of the Crown. After Clive came Warren Hastings, who began his tenure as governor of Bengal and settled down to govern both Bengal and Bihar. His “rule” was followed by the regime of Charles...

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