Sarmaya Talks: Glorious Failure by Robert Ivermee

Sarmaya Talks - Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India by Prof Robert Ivermee

For 150 years, from the reign of Louis XIV to the downfall of Napoleon, France was an aggressive imperial power in South Asia. Through their East India company and state, the French established a far-reaching empire in India, only to see their dominant position undermined by conflict with local rulers, competition from other European nations, and a series of strategic errors. This talk will recover the largely forgotten history of French imperialism in India. In doing so, it tackles topics like great power rivalry and entrenched inequalities that remain vital and urgent today.

About Speaker: Robert Ivermee is an historian of British and wider European colonialism in South Asia. His research focuses on the ideologies and practices of colonial rule and the colonial impact on the environment. He is Associate Professor at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, a specialist French higher education institute for the study of the social sciences. He is the author of Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India (Context, 2026), Hooghly: The Global History of a River (Harper Collins, 2021) and a wide range of other publications.

This talk will be facilitated by Sarmaya Arts Foundation in tandem with our new exhibition Odyssey of the Rupee: From India to the World.

Marking 75 years of the Indian Rupee, Odyssey of the Rupee is Sarmaya’s most ambitious exhibition yet. Curated by Dr Shailendra Bhandare of the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, with Sarmaya Arts Foundation, the showcase spans centuries of currency, from ancient punch-marked coins to the first coin minted in Independent India. The exhibition also explores how the rupee travelled beyond borders, featuring beautiful and rare coins and notes from regions like Mozambique, Java, and Saudi Arabia.

Meeting Point: Sarmaya Arts Foundation, 2nd Floor, Lawrence & Mayo Commercial Premises Co-op. Society Ltd., 276, Dr. D.N. Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400001

Landmark: Next to Khadi Bhandar

Age group: Open to All. Seating on first come, first serve basis.