Manu S. Pillai

Manu S. Pillai (born 1990) is an Indian writer and popular historian. Known for his works on the Travancore monarchy and the history of Princely India, he is most famous for his debut book, The Ivory Throne, which is about Rani Sethu Lakshmi Bhay's reign as the Regent of Travancore.

Early life and education
Manu S. Pillai was born in Mavelikkara, Kerala in 1990. He grew up in Pune. He got his Bachelor's Degree in Economics from Fergusson College, Pune. He got a Master's Degree in International Relations from King's College London.

Following his education, he worked with the Parliamentary office of Shashi Tharoor in New Delhi and Lord Karan Bilimoria in London. He also worked as a researcher on the BBC Radio 4 series, Incarnations with Sunil Khilnani, which tells the story of India through fifty great lives. In 2017, he became a full time historian and writer. He holds a PhD in history from King's College London.

Pillai is known for his debut non-fiction The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore for which he won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2017. the story was expected to be adapted into a web series by Arka Mediaworks. Rebel Sultans, Pillai's second work, narrates the story of the Deccan from the close of the thirteenth century to the dawn of the eighteenth century. He has released two more books since, The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin and False Allies: India's Maharajas in the Age of Ravi Varma.