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It is a privilege to welcome William Dalrymple on the occasion of his recent book, The Golden Road, and the exhibition Shared Stories. William Dalrymple is a Scottish historian and bestselling author who explores India’s central role in global history through vivid, accessible storytelling. Few contemporary writers have reshaped our understanding of the cultural and intellectual exchanges between India and the wider world as profoundly as Dalrymple. In The Golden Road, he traces the vast networks of trade, scholarship, faith, and artistic imagination that once connected the Indian subcontinent to Central Asia, the Mediterranean, and beyond. The book presents India not as a distant recipient of influence, but as a dynamic and influential source of ideas, aesthetics, science, and spirituality that travelled widely and left a lasting global imprint. This perspective resonates closely with the spirit of Shared Stories. The exhibition invites visitors to see objects not as isolated artefacts, but as witnesses to movement — of people, forms, motifs, and meanings. Sculptures, archaeological finds, and works by contemporary artists are presented as part of an ongoing narrative of encounter and exchange. Together, they highlight how culture is continually shaped through transmission, translation, and reinterpretation. Dalrymple’s scholarship reminds us that what we often describe as “globalisation” has much deeper historical roots. The Golden Road was not simply a trade route, but an intellectual and artistic corridor. In parallel, Shared Stories stages a dialogue across time, where past and present illuminate one another. This event offers an opportunity to reflect on the enduring connections between these two projects and on the broader idea that civilizations evolve through exchange, that identities are enriched by contact, and that history itself is a shared construction. Entry by registration at the link below. Last date to register: Tuesday, 10th March. |
The Golden Road of Shared Stories | Talk with William Dalrymple
