India's Ancient Global Connections Revealed

An evening with historian William Dalrymple in Delhi offers a new perspective on India's historical interconnectedness. His recent book, 'The Golden Road,' meticulously traces the extensive networks of trade, scholarship, faith, and artistic imagination that once linked the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia and the Mediterranean. This work emphasizes India's role as a powerful source of ideas, with philosophies and scientific knowledge traveling outward and significantly impacting other civilizations.

Dalrymple's research underscores that extensive global interaction is not a modern phenomenon. The ancient routes he describes served as intellectual and artistic corridors, facilitating the movement of monks, merchants, scholars, and craftsmen carrying manuscripts, images, and beliefs. This concept is mirrored in the 'Shared Stories' exhibition, where objects are presented as testaments to movement, revealing an ongoing narrative of cultural encounter and transformation across time and geography.