Christening This Substack
A return to writing after a hiatus
My readers may have noticed that I have not sent out a newsletter or written on my Substack for over a year, something that I hope to rectify promptly. Professional commitments followed by health issues were at the root of this. Toward the end of last year, I unexpectedly became seriously ill: an illness which required surgery, hospitalization, and homebound recovery. Thankfully, I am on the mend now. Needless to say, this was not the most exciting time of my life, coming at the tail end of a period of extended stresses in other areas of life. But the silver lining to this aforementioned situation was that I had a lot of time to read and think, and I have lately been feeling an immense burst of creativity coming upon me. So enough about my personal affairs for now — after all, this Substack is about ideas and intellectual exploration.
I had previously given this Substack the name Akhi’s Archives, which was always intended to be a temporary stopgap before christening it something more reflective of its theme. I have settled upon the name The Caravan & The Throne, with the tagline “reflections on empire, culture, memory, and language across civilizations.”
The aim is to continue to focus on the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East (with some forays on Europe, East Asia, and the U.S.) and write about cultures that have risen and fallen, structures and institutions that have shaped states and peoples, the intersection of history and geography, and the journeys of language and tradition across civilizations. From India and Persia to the steppes of Turkestan, the rainforests of Java and the sands of Arabia, from the Bosphorus to Tsushima, this is a search for origins, customs, and trends across the Old World oikumene.
Readers can also continue to follow my professional work, including my column at The Diplomat here. I am currently working on a several part Historical Great Powers of Asia series. Thank you for continuing to read and follow me. In light of recent developments in my life, I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be able to continue to share my work and thoughts with my readers.
