Shashank Singh

Shashank Singh is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Historical Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. His research focuses on the maintenance of political power in the area of Gwalior in colonial and independent India. The Scindias provide an interesting case study for the researcher. Shashank’s thesis explores how these Indian princes maintained their power and legitimacy in changing circumstances from the mid-nineteenth century to the contemporary period. Shashank also explores the results of their power on the local population. How far do the monarchial symbols and values perpetuate the princely influence in the electoral politics of independent India? What were the implications of the retention of political power by a princely family on the welfare of its citizens? In general, Shashank wants to understand how political power was perpetuated across generations in this case, while in other cases (like Baroda) it failed to be transmitted.