John Zubrzycki in conversation with Satyajit Das 2022

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From Alexander the Great crossing the Indus, to plotting Mughal emperors; from English colonisation and the East India Company, to the legacy of Gandhi; from ancient Buddhist practice to modern day Bollywood - John Zubrzycki, former foreign news editor with The Australian, tackles them all in a sweeping, entertaining and concise history of the rising global superpower of India.

Join him on Tuesday 14 June in conversation with Satyajit Das, a globally respected former banker, nominated by Bloomberg as one of the fifty most influential financial thinkers in the world.

Attendees are asked to arrive at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start. Seating is unallocated - another reason to arrive early to secure an optimal spot. Why not make a full evening of it, too, by booking a meal at the Royal Oak before or after the event? One of Balmain's oldest and best-known pubs, it serves a delicious range of food and beverages.

The Shortest History of India will be available for purchase at the venue through Roaring Stories, with book signings from Zubrzycki following the discussion.

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ABOUT THE SHORTEST HISTORY OF INDIA

One of the oldest civilisations and the largest democracy in the world, India is an amalgam of customs, races, castes, languages and spiritual beliefs, woven together over 5000 years of wonderfully colossal and chaotic history.

From the earliest humans and the Harappān civilisation to Muslim invaders, the Great Mughals, British rule, the country's struggle for autonomy and present-day hopes and challenges, John Zubrzycki masterfully condenses five millennia of deities, mutinies, wars, great empires, decadent dynasties, invasions, colonisation and independence into a fascinating, lively telling. He brings the complex and contrasting layers of Indian history to life through a well-known cast of characters - Buddha, Alexander the Great, Akbar, Clive, Tipu Sultan, Lakshmi Bai, Curzon, Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi - against a backdrop of the mystical Ganges, the desert forts of Rajasthan, the snow-covered Himalayas and the ruins of India's fabled civilisations.

From Buddhism to Bollywood, India has made its mark on Asia and the world. Its progress in tackling poverty and illiteracy have been impressive, but extraordinary challenges remain - not least the threat to its secular fabric. Only time will tell if India can overcome its political, social and religious tensions to rise again and become the next global superpower.