Books​ Reviews

A celebrated politician, scholar and diplomat in his lifetime, V.S. Srinivasa Sastri (1869-1946) is now a largely forgotten figure. Hailed as the “very voice of international conscience”, Sastri advocated for racial equality as well as securing the rights of Indians at home and abroad. This book journeys through Sastri’s professional life, offering a diplomatic biography of his years as pre-independent India’s illustrious ambassador in the 1920s. It examines his involvement in key conferences and agreements while also throwing light on the contradictions of being a native diplomat, including being treated as an equal on the world stage while lacking the same equality at home, and the risk of legitimising the colonial project.