Sanskrit Mosques and Forgotten Passports: The Folklore Your History Teacher Missed

What if the India we know today was only a fraction of the India that existed a century ago?

On this episode of 3 Techies Banter, we sit down with Sam Dalrymple — Scottish historian, author and co-founder of Project Dastaan — to explore the forgotten histories, borders and cultural connections that shaped modern South Asia.

Sam's book Shattered Lands looks beyond the familiar story of Partition in 1947 and explores the multiple ruptures that transformed the subcontinent. From one Indian Empire passport becoming 12 different national identities to the forgotten separation of Burma in 1937, this conversation challenges the way we have been taught to understand India's history.

Sam also shares the deeply personal story of reconnecting his friend Sparsh with his ancestral village in Pakistan — and with the family of the man who had protected his grandfather during the violence of Partition.

This is a conversation about history, identity, technology, memory, borders and the stories that disappear when we only look at history through today's map.

0:00 Highlights of the Episode4:03 Sam Dalrymple: Uncovering Hidden Narratives6:28 Growing Up Amidst Ancient Layers12:09 The Linguistic Bridge: Sanskrit and Persian22:35 Project Dastan: Reconnecting Divided Families40:55 Inspiring a New Generation of Historians

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