The Dutch presence in India is a little-known and oft-ignored part of our colonial past. Built up as part of a trading empire that stretched between the Cape of Good Hope and Taiwan, the Dutch controlled several posts all along the Indian Archipelago. Dutch India, though, was never under one political authority, but was made up of small administrative units and included Dutch Ceylon. Their presence in India lasted from 1605 up to 1825, when events in Europe led to the Dutch giving up most of their possessions in India to the British. Today, however, we are left with very little evidence of their time here. At our Online Talk #LittleHollands, historian Dr. Rashna Poncha traces the Dutch presence in the country.

Please note: The event link will be shared a couple of hours before the talk. 

About the speaker

Dr. Rashna Poncha is Assistant Professor at the History Department, Sophia College(Autonomous). She is passionate about teaching and about History. She completed her Ph.D. thesis on ‘A Study of Frere Town, Bombay (1862-1947)’ in 2016 and was awarded the Ph.D. degree in 2018. Her area of specialisation is 19th-century Bombay history. She is the co-editor of the books, ‘Mumbai-Socio-Cultural Perspectives: Contributions of Ethnic Groups and Communities’ and ‘Down the Corridors of Wisdom’, the history of Sophia College. Dr. Poncha has presented papers on the Parsis, Forts, the history of Bombay city and her architectural heritage at both international and national conferences.