Dr Shashi Tharoor, Indian Member of Parliament, author and former Government Minister, will discuss India in the 21st Century with author and historian William Dalrymple at the Beyond Borders International Festival at Traquair House this weekend.

Dr Tharoor, who recently hit the headlines after he appeared in an Oxford Union debate entitled ‘this house believes Britain owes reparations to her former colonies’, will take to the stage at Traquair House on Sunday, 23 August at 5pm. The viral video from the debate showcased an impassioned speech, which sees Dr Tharoor making the case that the UK should pay reparations to those countries that were affected by its colonial past. Rather than a discussion about exact figures or percentages in terms of what is owed to whom, Dr Tharoor simply advocated recognition that a debt is owed.

On the issue of whether the principle of accountability is still relevant today, Dr Tharoor said, “Yes, maybe today’s Britons are not responsible for some of these depredations […] but you’re not responsible for the people starving in Somalia, but you give them aid. Surely the principle of reparations for the wrongs that have been done cannot be denied.”

He further reiterated, “The fact of the matter remains that many of today’s problems in these countries, including the persistence and in some cases the creation of racial and ethnic and religious tensions, were the direct result of the colonial experience. So there is a moral debt that needs to be paid.”

Dr Tharoor and William Dalrymple will get to the heart of this debate at the weekend. They will discuss the history of India, including the practical and moral legacy of the British Empire – including the British tendency towards a rose-tinted perspective on this legacy – and its relevance in particular for the India of the 21st century.

There will also be a second opportunity to hear from William Dalrymple at one the lunchtime tête-à-tête sessions on Saturday, during which the Beyond Borders International Festival favourite will once again regale the audience with tales of ‘Mughals in Kilts.’

For more information about these sessions, further details of the full Beyond Borders Summer Events Programme, and to book tickets, visit www.beyondbordersscotland.com

Tickets: Weekend Pass £45/Day Pass £24/Individual Events £9/Walks and Cycle Rides £6. For more information, email info@beyondbordersscotland.com or call 0131 557 7775.

Join the debate at the Beyond Borders International Festival.