the Karwaan Book Award

The Karwaan Book Award is an annual recognition instituted by Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative to honour the most outstanding non-fiction works on the history of the Indian subcontinent. Conceived as both an academic and a public-facing award, it seeks to acknowledge books that combine rigorous historical scholarship with clarity of thought, intellectual honesty, and a commitment to engaging a wider readership beyond the academy.

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At a moment when histories of the subcontinent are frequently simplified, instrumentalised, or distorted for political ends, the Karwaan Book Award affirms the value of history as a disciplined method of inquiry. It foregrounds works that are grounded in careful research, critical engagement with sources, and methodological transparency—while remaining attentive to the ethical responsibility of historians to speak meaningfully to the present. The Award recognises that history writing is not merely an accumulation of facts, but a reflective practice that demands precision, nuance, and interpretative skill.

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Each year, the Award is presented along with a detailed citation by the Jury, underscoring not only the intellectual merit of the winning work but also its contribution to expanding how we think about the past. The Jury seeks books that open new questions, revisit familiar narratives with fresh insight, or bring previously marginalised voices, regions, and themes into sharper historical focus. In doing so, the Award encourages scholarship that deepens our understanding of the subcontinent’s complex, plural, and interconnected histories.

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The Karwaan Book Award is firmly rooted in Karwaan’s larger mission: to democratise access to serious historical thinking and to foster sustained public engagement with the past. By recognising recent and exemplary research across diverse fields—political, social, cultural, intellectual, economic, and environmental history—the Award creates a vital bridge between academic historians and a broader reading public. It celebrates books that not only advance scholarly debates but also invite readers to think historically, critically, and empathetically.

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As Romila Thapar, Chair of the Shortlist Jury 2022, succinctly reminds us: “The writing of history has a method which historians observe, and their work is judged by its application. Historians assessing new publications should contribute to strengthening this process.” This principle lies at the heart of the Karwaan Book Award. The Award is not merely about recognition; it is about upholding standards, reinforcing scholarly integrity, and reaffirming faith in history as a careful, self-reflexive, and continually evolving discipline.

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Through this Award, Karwaan hopes to honour historians whose work exemplifies intellectual courage, methodological rigour, and narrative depth—and to signal, year after year, that thoughtful history writing remains essential to understanding both our pasts and our shared futures.