One of the few studies of kind, this book provides a historical overview of the African heritage in India from medieval to modern time. It focusses on the African dispersal in the Deccan region covering modern Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, the Coromandel Coast and western coastal India.

Beginning with their inception into the Deccan as slaves or mercenaries in local armies, we see how the Habshis integrated and were assimilated into Indian society. Some rose to the ranks of nobility and held high office in the Bahmani Kingdom, under the Nizam Shahis (1498-1634), the Adil Shahis (1500-1650), the Qutb Shahis of Golkonda (1512-1687) and the Asif Jahis (1724-1948) — the most notable being Malik Ambar. Unlike most immigrant minorities, the Africans made a significant contribution to the social, political and cultural history of the Deccan.

Shanti Sadiq Ali is a former Executive Secretary of the Indian Council for Africa and Member of the Indian delegation to the thirty-ninth session of the U.N. General Assembly. Since 1980 she has also been Member of the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in which she served as Rapporteur and Vice-Chairman. Till recently, she was Founder President, African Studies Society of India and Editior of its journal Africa. Her publications, include India and Africa throughout the Ages; and India and the East Africa Littoral, Hinterland and India Ocean Island States; and Gandhi and South Africa.