William Dalrymple is the preeminent authority on Indian history, whose books, including The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty, Nine Lives: In Search of the Sacred in Modern India, The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company, and most recently, The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, have won many prestigious awards. He has lived in India on and off for the last 30 years.