Invitation to Cover  William Dalymple's book launch 

The Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), Asia Society & South Asian Journalists Assosication (SAJA)
invite you to
meet William Dalrymple at the occasion of
the book launch and reading of his latest work

The Last Mughal (Knopf, March 27^th)

on
Monday, March 26, 2007
6:30 - 9:00 pm
at
Asia Society, 725 Park Ave, (@ 70^th street)

THE LAST MUGHAL (Knopf, March 27) by William Dalrymple tells the remarkable, tragic story of the end of the Mughal rule.  Armed with groundbreaking material he discovered in Indian archives—previously unexamined Urdu and Persian manuscripts that present the Indian perspective—THE LAST MUGHAL permanently alters our understanding of Indian and British history.
  
The Last Mughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar II, was a king in name only, and had come to the Mughal throne in his mid-60s when the political power of his dynasty was already in steep decline.  Zafar—a mystic, poet, and calligrapher of great accomplishment—created a court of unparalleled brilliance, and gave rise to perhaps the greatest literary renaissance in Indian history.  When religious and cultural tensions between Indians and British imperial settlers/businessmen erupted into The Great Mutiny of 1857, loyal Indians thrust Zafar into the role of a military leader. 
  
The revolt against British takeover was doomed from the start, though, and within the month, Delhi was surrounded by the British, and the seige of the capital began. Thousands died of starvation or were killed in the conflict, and the atrocities the British committed are some of the most egregious in that country’s history.  Dramatically told, evocative, and unflinching, THE LAST MUGHALis the first narrative of the siege to present the Indian perspective.  Writes Britain’s Sunday Telegraph: “As a vivid portrayal of Delhi under siege, the book is unmatched; as an account of life in the invested city it is revolutionary. And as an elegy for the last of the Great Mughals—banished to far-off Rangoon and buried in an unmarked grave—it is deeply humane.”

This event is brought to you by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), Asia Society & the South Asian Journalists Association(SAJA). Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC ) is a 501©3 not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to promoting and showcasing and building an awareness of artists of Indian origin in the performing, visual, literary and folk arts. Please visit www. iaac.us for information & upcoming events.

For any questions, request for interviews or to RSVP – please contact
Peepul PR
646.495.6224
Gayatri Hingorani / Sri Kaushal
gayatri@mypeepul.com / sri@mypeepul.com