Historian, TV & radio presenter. Instagram as anita.anand.official. Empire pod. BBC Any Answers, PM Reith Lectures and wotnots Agent Alex Armitage at Noel Gay
And the 2020 PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize goes to –
@tweeter_anita
, for The Patient Assassin! Chair of judges Rana Mitter described it as ‘a genuine historical classic that will be read for decades to come.’ Congratulations, Anita!
Couldn’t share the news with you before, but Princess Sophia Duleep Singh will finally get the recognition she deserves. Six new blue plaques have been granted for 2023. The Princess, suffragette and revolutionary will have her plaque on her grace and favour home at Hampton Court
Forgive me… but this is one of the happiest days of my life! Princess Sophia Duleep Singh gets her blue plaque at Hampton Court! And sisters from everywhere come to celebrate her in the blazing sun! Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary.
#suffragette
#womem
Hey
@CNN
- I’m not, and never have been Canadian minister of National Defence … I’m used to getting
@AnitaAnandMP
tweets but now this is happening…. And not for the first time…
To mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day today, sharing this ...Sikh soldiers joining a Victory Day Street Party with residents of Eldon Street, Reading in May 1945 - h/t Peter Bance
@readingmuseum
#VictoryInManyColours
Even in old age, the Hampton Court Princess suffragette fought the good fight. She took in evacuees and protected them like a lioness would her cubs. I know this because I spoke to them. That is how recent her history is. Sophia Duleep Singh was one of a kind…
Happy birthday to my brilliant mate and partner in crime
@DalrympleWill
- Master of the awkward pause! I love this picture of us, holding a replica of the Kohinoor diamond shortly before dropping it and watching it roll under heavy furniture… 1/2
Massive drumroll pls!
@EmpirePodUK
returns to India with a sneak peak at
@DalrympleWill
’s forthcoming book The Golden Road! It tells the story of India as the forgotten heart of the ancient world. From about 250 BC to 1200 AD, India created vast empire of ideas, an ‘Indosphere’
Daughter of the deposed Maharajah, goddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was a suffragette who made full use of her royal title to generate support for the campaign for women’s votes. She was so much more…
Was listening to the excellent
#InOurTime
on
@BBCRadio4
and was curious about the Crossness Sewage Treatment Works - Bazalegette’s ‘Cathedral of the Marsh’s’ - “it’s beauty for the sewage workers alone to see”. They weren’t kidding. It’s stunning.
Biggest thanks of all to
@EnglishHeritage
for doing this. Now and forever there is a
#blueplaque
to mark the contribution of a British Asian woman who fought for women’s rights to count in British democracy!
The
#reith
lectures, hosted by me, begin tomorrow on
@BBCRadio4
@bbcworldservice
and
@BBCSounds
Our first speaker - Best-selling Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discussing freedom of speech. Don’t miss it. At 9am.
Harry Dunn’s parents are extraordinary. Imagine being them...in the Whitehouse... face to face with POTUS... saying ‘No’ We will not be ambushed... this is not justice... our son deserves much better.
#radio4today
On
#InternationalDayOfTheGirl
, women are being encouraged to share a picture of their younger self with some advice both for her and the next generation.
#thislittlegirlisme
and I’d tell her to laugh and speak freely and loudly and be proud of the sound.
So this cat is now out of the bag! Not naming names but it might just have been one
@DalrympleWill
who opened said bag… Empire’s new season on the history of the Persian Empire coming soon! (This cat is a Persian cat, and I’m a bit proud of that)…
On this day, 99 years ago, one of the worst acts of British colonial history took place. My grandfather was at Jallianwallah Bagh that day. He lived but his friends died. I am writing about the massacre and the act of vengeance which followed. Today it’s more difficult than usual
In 1918, she put down her suffragette cause and took up a nurses uniform, rushing to Brighton to tend to Indian soldiers who were coming home broken from the Western Front. British women nurses were discouraged from doing so, though some did nevertheless.
She is in good company, with violin maestro Yehudi Menuhin, suffragette Emily Wilding Davison , founder of the Notting Hill Carnival Claudia Jones, pre-Raphaelite model and muse Marie Spartali Stillman and Ada Salter, social champion for Southwark and Bermondsey.
This is our
@Hermesparcels
delivery man, we see him 1 or 2 times a week, start of lockdown Tallulah drew him a
#thankyou
🌈, he still has it proudly on show in his van, they have built up quite a friendship over these last few weeks
@ststephensaud
#proudmum
Our latest
@empirepoduk
with me and
@DalrympleWill
tells the long and tortured story of Russia’s relationship with Ukraine, stretching back to the Russian revolution. 1/5
New Pod! Iran/Persian Empire "I am Cyrus, king of the universe, the great king, the powerful king, king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four quarters of the world, son of Cambyses, the great king, king of the city of Anshan, the perpetual seed of kingship….” 1/3
This week on
@EmpirePodUK
Sykes-Picot: Carving up the Middle-East
@tweeter_anita
+
@DalrympleWill
discuss the secret plans between the British and the French to divide and share the Ottoman Empire… with long term consequences we still feel today.
Fantastic to know that Sophia Duleep Singh will be on a stamp next month to mark 100 years since women over 30 got the vote in the UK. Possibly the first person of Sikh heritage on a British stamp.
#vote100
#suffrage100
“You’re not me, we are two different people”
#BBCPM
’s Anita Anand sat down with her namesake Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand during her visit to London
You can listen to the full interview on PM on BBC Radio 4 at 5PM today
Earlier this month, we passed 20 MILLION DOWNLOADS for
@EmpirePodUK
!!!!
@DalrympleWill
and I can’t quite get our heads round it! Thank you Thank you Thank you to all who have listened to our pod. It’s a joy to do…
Also - spot the difference. One photo with
@DalrympleWill
taken 8 years ago when we were working on our
#kohinoor
book. The other this week as we wrapped the last podcast on the diamond…
@EmpirePodUK
A Christmas story. So months ago Ed borrowed a v fancy meat thermometer from Stuart. One linked to your phone by bluetooth. He cooked his joint, returned it, thanked Stuart. This Christmas Stuart went to spend Christmas in Oz…
Light of the world. Born on a roadside. Rises to become Empress of India.
Listen as
@DalrympleWill
and I discuss the ascent of one of the most powerful women in Indian history. Nur Jahan.
@EmpirePodUK
New pod! Napoleon movie out later this year. Most wont know Napoleon tried to re-enslave freed men & women of Haiti. Their leader, Toussaint Louverture believed in French revolutionary ideals. Hear about the betrayal & clash with me &
@DalrympleWill
-
This is the all girl robotics team
@bbclysedoucet
is talking about on BBC
#today
right now. They are frightened and trapped at Kabul airport. : Afghan Girls Robotics Team Aims To Build Low-Tech, Low-Cost Ventilator
Is slavery hardwired into human society? Is hierarchy inevitable? Who built the pyramids? Listen as
@DalrympleWill
and me,
@tweeter_anita
are joined by
@davidwengrow
to discuss slavery in the world’s most ancient civilizations. New episode
She was a fashion icon, who featured in magazines and newspapers. She also outraged society by becoming one of the first women to ride a bicycle in public.
#sophiaduleepsingh
If you want a better understanding of the Middle East today, our latest podcast discusses the roots of the Shia and Suni split. Out now
@EmpirePodUK
with me and
@DalrympleWill
In
@EmpirePodUK
this week we tell the key story for understanding many of the tensions and undercurrents of the modern Middle East:
How did the great divide within Islam, the split between Sunni and Shia, develop?
Essential listening for anyone who wants to understand the…
She raised money for a Lascar shelter in the docklands of London. They crewed the ships bringing goods from the Empire, but often found themselves abandoned and destitute on arrival.
#sophiaduleepsingh
A phenomenal start to our Reith Lectures 2022 with
@ChimamandaReal
- on Freedom of speech, social censure, self censorship, mob intimidation, social media and so much more. You can hear this
@bbcradio4
and
@bbcworldservice
on November 30th at 9am.
#reith
Mary Seacole was a skilled nurse and “doctress” in Jamaica. In 1850 cholera swept the island & more than 31,000 people died. Mary gained first hand knowledge of contagious disease. Many British soldiers were treated by her. She called them “her sons” 5/8
Cannot stress how very excited
@DalrympleWill
and I are about this series of
@EmpirePodUK
- we are very lucky to have the brilliant
@simonmontefiore
to take us on this slalom between Ivans- the birth of an Empire which has inspired Putin’s thinking today
Such a lovely response to our Indian food mini series! On Thursday we tackle the highly contentious history of curry powder!
@EmpirePodUK
@DalrympleWill
What is the history behind Iran and Israel's relationship, why are groups like Hezbollah involved, and how can history help us to understand their role in the Middle-East today?
A thread 🧵
My
@EmpirePodUK
co-host
@tweeter_anita
has been expressing suprise on air about the idea of me putting my pigeons/kabootar to bed. So for those who wish to see what this involves, here are some photos!
So this was a bit of a surprise: just summoned to meet Rahul Dravid who says he's a big fan of
@EmpirePodUK
& has got his whole squad listening to
@tweeter_anita
& I blagging on about imperial history! Who knew? (And what a modest, charming & charismatic gent he is.)
#starstruck
And to all of you who have listened to
@EmpirePodUK
with me and the brilliant, marvellous and kind
@DalrympleWill
- THANK YOU! The whole team is giddy with the news. Special praise for our genius (and entirely patient producer )Callum Hill. ⭐️
"We will be burying our colleagues"
Dr Jenny Vaughan from The Doctors' Association who has been caring for acutely ill patients all week - tells
@cathynewman
she is also very concerned about the health of her NHS colleagues.
Well good heavens above! This is such marvellous and very humbling news.
@DalrympleWill
and I are totally overwhelmed by both the numbers of listeners and your enthusiasm. Thank you, thank you and thank you!
Blimey!!!! Huge thanks to all of you who have tuned into our little podcast.
@DalrympleWill
and I are so grateful… and we love what we do on
@EmpirePodUK
.
🎉 Amazing listening figures for Empire recently! In January alone we had over 1 million downloads 🎉
Thank you so much for tuning in,
@DalrympleWill
+
@tweeter_anita
and the whole Empire team really appreciate it!
And an especially enormous shout out to our brilliant, kind, talented producer Callum ! Working on something with your mates is the very best feeling and
@DalrympleWill
and
@CallumHill98
are the best… and big love to the whole
@GoalhangerPods
family! Thanks for having us!
Ocer the next 5 eps of
@EmpirePodUK
@DalrympleWill
& Anita tell the story of Buddhism and how it travelled along the Golden Road. We start today with the life of Siddharta Gautama, an aristocrat born in the 5th century BC. He would conquer vast tracts of the world with his ideas.
Just dropped today on
@EmpirePodUK
. The harrowing story of partition- with the exemplary
@kavpuri
. Join me and
@DalrympleWill
. (The stories reduced William to tears)… .