Asian Studies Centre

This interview discusses Joe's interest and approach in studying and curating coins, as well as the research being undertaken on the British Museum's South Asian coin collection. In this interview Joe talks about his interest in Asian numismatics and his initial work at the British Museum. He discusses the idea and curation of the British Museum's HSBC Money gallery. We discuss his collaboration projects with scholars from South Asia and the access that different audiences have to these collections.

Book talk with Ashis Ray The Indian National Army (INA) trials of 1945–46 have generally been given short shrift by historians in their cataloguing of the Indian freedom movement. This book examines to what extent the trials had an impact on the final phase of India’s quest for independence. In so doing, it unveils that, while the Indian National Congress’s extended odyssey to win independence was essentially about a passive push-back, at a critical juncture of its campaign to extinguish British colonialism in India, it applauded and capitalised on the INA’s use of force. The central, explosive narrative is about Britain holding a court martial of three officers of the INA – Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Sahgal and Gurbaksh Dhillon – convicting them, before a dramatic turn in events. The material unearthed by the book throws new light on a decisive juncture leading to the transfer of power in India. It will be indispensable for researchers interested in South Asia, especially the Indian freedom movement. It will be invaluable for students of history, colonialism, military studies, politics in pre-Partition India and law. Ashis Ray has been a foreign correspondent since 1977, broadcasting on BBC, CNN and ITN and writing for Ananda Bazar Group, The Times of India, The Tribune, The Hindu, Hindustan Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, Financial Times and Nikkei Asia, among other publications. He was CNN’s founding South Asia bureau chief before becoming the network’s editor-at-large. He has been elected president of Indian Journalists’ Association (Europe) for several terms. In 1982, the Commonwealth Institute selected him among 10 ‘eminent Indians’ in Britain. In 1995, he was conferred a National Press Award in India. He was made an academic visitor by St Antony’s College, Oxford for 2021–22. He intends to continue in academia. The Trial that Shook Britain is his fourth book.

Shreya Gupta interviews Dr Shailendra Bhandare, Curator of South Asian and Far-eastern Coins and Paper Money at the Ashmolean Museum

Shreya Gupta interviews Indian coin expert Jan Lingen on his collection. In this interview Jan Lingen recounts his story of coming to India in his architectural role and developing an interest in Indian coins and studying Indian languages. He talks about the people he met with and worked with on his coin collecting journey and his continuing work with Indian coins in the Netherlands.

This interview discusses the afterlives of coin collections from South Asia held in UK museums today. In this interview, Robert Bracey speaks about his past and ongoing work at the British Museum as the current Curator of Asian Numismatics. He talks about some of the research being conducted on the museum’s South Asian coins, particularly on the Kushan coin collection. The speakers discuss the services provided for visitors and scholars to the British Museum including the Study Room and Collections Online, and attempt to understand the lives of these coins inside the British Museum after they have made their journey from South Asia to the UK.