Urvi Khaitan is an economic and social historian researching the economics of gender in twentieth-century South Asia. Her work centres the working lives of women pushed to the margins of society by their gender and socio-economic status, arguing that women's labour—paid and unpaid—is central and structural to the South Asian economy. Her doctoral thesis used the 1940s—a period of economic turbulence marked by the Second World War and the Bengal Famine, and consequently, a time of enhanced archival visibility—as a lens to explore women's economic agency and activity. Urvi is particularly interested in disentangling the relationship between women and work in the longer-term continuum of the challenges of poverty and precarity. Her current work builds on her doctoral research both temporally, by grappling with the question of declining female labour force participation in postcolonial India, and conceptually, by advancing a more inclusive framework and agenda at the intersection of South Asian economic history, gender studies, and political economy. Urvi holds a DPhil and an MPhil in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford and a BA in History from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi. Her work has been supported by the University of Oxford, the Institute of Historical Research and the Royal Historical Society. Community and public engagement greatly inform her academic praxis.

The Fourth Karwaan Special Lecture 2025 Women at the Mughal Courts: Image, Portrait, and Patronage of Hamida Banu Begam (1527–1604) by Dr. Mika Natif (George Washington University) A specialist in Islamic art, Mika Natif focuses on the intercultural exchanges and global connections that Muslim societies forged with the European sphere during the premodern period. Her primary field of research is Islamic painting, with special interest in Central Asia, Iran, India, and the Mediterranean. Natif recently published her book titled Mughal Occidentalism: Artistic Encounters Between Europe and Asia at the Courts of India, 1580-1630 (Leiden: Brill, 2018). Her current research explores notions of images, diversity, and religious tolerance in the arts of Mughal India, female portraiture, and the role of women as patrons and artists in the pre-modern Persianate spheres. She also co-edited and co-authored, with Francesca Leoni, Eros and Sexuality in Islamic Art (Surrey: Ashgate Publications, October 2013).

The Karwaan Book Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding non-fiction works on the history of the Indian subcontinent. Awarded by a distinguished Jury, the prize aims to honor academic excellence while promoting historical understanding among the wider public. Established by Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative, the award celebrates recent research and publications across various facets of South Asian history. The Karwaan Book Award is not only a celebration of intellectual achievement but also a tribute to the power of historical inquiry and the preservation of shared history. The shortlisted works highlight the dedication of authors in unraveling the complexities of our past. As Prof. Romila Thapar, Chair of the 2022 Jury, notes, "The writing of history follows a method, and historians' work is judged by its application. Those assessing new publications should contribute to strengthening this process." In 2023, the Karwaan Book Award was awarded to Everyday Islamic Law and the Making of Modern South Asia by Elizabeth Lhost.

Rana Mitter is ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the author of several books, including Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II (2013) which won the 2014 RUSI/Duke of Westminster’s Medal for Military Literature, and was named a Book of the Year in the Financial Times and Economist. His latest book is China’s Good War: How World War II is Shaping a New Nationalism (Harvard, 2020). His writing on contemporary China has appeared recently in Foreign Affairs, the Harvard Business Review, The Spectator, The Critic, and The Guardian. He has commented regularly on China in media and forums around the world, including at the World Economic Forum at Davos. His recent documentary on contemporary Chinese politics "Meanwhile in Beijing" is available on BBC Sounds. He is co-author, with Sophia Gaston, of the report “Conceptualizing a UK-China Engagement Strategy” (British Foreign Policy Group, 2020). He won the 2020 Medlicott Medal for Service to History, awarded by the UK Historical Association. He previously taught at Oxford, and is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Deewaar (transl. The Wall) is a 1975 Indian action-crime classic penned by the legendary duo Salim–Javed and helmed by Yash Chopra. The film features powerhouse performances by Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor, supported by a stellar ensemble cast including Nirupa Roy, Neetu Singh, Parveen Babi, Iftekhar, Madan Puri, Satyen Kappu, and Manmohan Krishna. Set against the gritty backdrop of Mumbai's slums, Deewaar follows the lives of two brothers who rise from poverty only to find themselves on opposite sides of the law. The title metaphorically represents the emotional and ideological wall that divides them, shaped by their divergent paths and the socio-political upheaval of the era. With R. D. Burman’s evocative music, Kay Gee Koregaonkar’s cinematography, and seamless editing by T. R. Mangeshkar-Pran Mehra, Deewaar is a masterful blend of storytelling and cinematic craft. It stands as a poignant exploration of morality, survival, and familial bonds amidst societal unrest.

Salil Misra completed his master’s degree in Modern Indian History at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, where he later pursued a Ph.D. on "Communal Politics in Uttar Pradesh, 1937–39," under the guidance of Professor Bipan Chandra. He has authored several notable publications, including the monograph *A Narrative of Communal Politics: Uttar Pradesh, 1937–39* and a Hindi booklet on the Swaraj Party, published by the National Book Trust (NBT). The booklet was part of NBT’s initiative to make the Indian National Movement accessible to rural audiences through concise publications in regional languages. Salil Misra’s research extends across various topics, such as communal politics, the language debate between Hindi and Urdu, the Partition of India, identity politics, and the pedagogy of social sciences. His scholarly contributions include numerous articles and invitations to deliver presidential addresses at forums like the UP History Congress, Punjab History Congress, and Andhra Pradesh History Congress. In 2019, he served as the General President of the UP History Congress. Between 1984 and 1987, Salil Misra taught history at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. From 1988 to 2010, he was part of the faculty at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. He also contributed to the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) project *Towards Freedom*, focusing on the year 1942, as part of an editorial team led by Professor Bipan Chandra, alongside Dr. Visalakshi Menon. The completed volume has since been published. In 2009, Salil Misra was a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development’s Centre for History of Emotions in Berlin. He also served as a professor of history and the Pro Vice Chancellor at Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD).

Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbwwhiVCC-I14hNr_G3__gg/join To Support Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/karwaanheritage Do follow us on our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3EkY51p Stay updated with our stories through our social media channels: Website: www.karwaanheritage.in Twitter: https://twitter.com/karwaanheritage Facebook: https://facebook.com/karwaaninitiative Instagram: https://instagram.com/karwaanheritage WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HE2FAQ1M8h7AAHr6p9ivNI About Karwaan: One of India's leading Independent student-led history initiatives. It is a collective of students trying to revolutionize the way we approach history. It was started in 2019 and hosted heritage walks in and around Delhi. Since April 2020, we have been organizing online lectures with authors/scholars/historians on our platform and giving students a chance to interact with scholars, and trying to start a dialogue on our past through our posts on Instagram and YouTube. #History #IndianHistory #Lectures #Heritage

The Karwaan Book Award is presented annually to recognize outstanding non-fiction works on the history of the Indian subcontinent. Awarded by a distinguished Jury, the prize aims to honor academic excellence while promoting historical understanding among the wider public. Established by Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative, the award celebrates recent research and publications across various facets of South Asian history. The Karwaan Book Award is not only a celebration of intellectual achievement but also a tribute to the power of historical inquiry and the preservation of shared history. The shortlisted works highlight the dedication of authors in unraveling the complexities of our past. As Prof. Romila Thapar, Chair of the 2022 Jury, notes, "The writing of history follows a method, and historians' work is judged by its application. Those assessing new publications should contribute to strengthening this process." In 2023, the Karwaan Book Award was awarded to Everyday Islamic Law and the Making of Modern South Asia by Elizabeth Lhost.