Pushkar, near Ajmer, Rajasthan, lies in the dry zone to the east of the Indian desert. In the vicinity there is evidence for three arid phases, during the latter part of the Pleistocene, each represented by a major sand sheet and fossil desert dunes. The earliest contains lenses of detritus which include rolled Lower Palaeolithic tools.

In the last quarter of the 19th century, Assam’s oilfields became part of the larger global petroleum economy and thus played a key role in the British imperial economy.

In this paper, an attempt is made to understand various dimensions of the relationship between the electricity system and politics in colonial Madras presidency between 1900 and 1947. The colonial government, which introduced new technological systems such as electricity, had its own economic and political priorities.