In 2022, author Samanth Subramanian recalls a volcanic eruption which damaged the undersea cables of Tonga, an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, resulting in parts of the Pacific island going without broadband internet for over 16 months.
“My fascination with undersea internet cables actually began with this long essay written by American writer Neal Stephenson in the 1990s. I remember being completely blown away by the level of detail and how he had just had a lot of fun with it,” says the writer, and managing editor of Equator magazine.
The disruption in Tonga, again got him thinking about Neal’s essay as he pondered over the Internet cables being a subject of mystery for the majority. Imagine going a day without scrolling through reels, logging into Netflix, or Google!
Samanth will speak about his latest book The Web Beneath The Waves: The Fragile Cables That Connect Our World, which explores the undersea cables that power the Internet and the secret battles to control them, as a part of The Hindu’s Lit For Life Unplugged on December 12 at Cheroot, ITC Grand Chola in Chennai.
The book took over two years of research, and, most importantly, travelling, which Samanth says was the best part of working on it. “I went to Tonga, the Ivory Coast, California, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and parts of the UK. Much like how Neal called himself a ‘hacker tourist’ while visiting sites that were critical to the Internet at that time, it felt like I was doing something similar, which thrilled me quite a bit,” Samanth says.
Samanth’s previous books include Following Fish: Travels Around the Indian Coast, the award-winning This Divided Island: Stories from the Sri Lankan Civil War, and A Dominant Character: The Radical Science and Restless Politics of J. B. S. Haldane. His journalistic work spans subjects related with travel, politics, science, books and more.
“The Web Beneath the Waves was an interesting book to work on in the sense that it is also very short; at 25,000 words it is like a long essay. The idea was to frame and fit my research and the material at hand for this particular format. In one sense, it made my job easier so that I could just focus on what was really important— essentially the question of who controls the Internet today, and this is what I am seeking to answer in the book,” Samanth says.
To register, scan the QR code
But, being a journalist also meant grappling with endless curiosity about what lay on the margins. Samanth laughs as he remembers having to hold himself back from travelling to a cable depot on a small island off the coast of Spain. “Had I followed every stray lead, I’d probably still be researching, six years on, and the book would have gone past two lakh words,” he says.
Samanth says that something he got lucky with while researching and working on the book was how cables were suddenly becoming big news, a geopolitical flashpoint. “Europeans were worried that Russia was cutting its cables, Taiwan was worried that China was cutting its cables, and the US and China were going through this spat about the control of cables, who got to build, lay and repair it all. In the past, cables had never been so pivotal in geopolitics and national security,” he says.
Over food and drinks at Cheroot, people can expect to listen to Samanth’s travel tales, research process and some fascinating insight into the web of under sea cables that keep the internet as we know it, alive and thriving.
“Evenings at Cheroot are shaped by stories—some spoken, some shared in quiet camaraderie. We are delighted to welcome The Hindu Lit for Life Unplugged, a collaboration we value deeply for the thoughtful conversations it inspires. For the night, our chefs and mixologists have curated a bespoke menu of beverages and gourmet small plates to elevate the experience for every guest who walks in,” says Shaariq Akhtar, General Manager, ITC Grand Chola.
The Hindu Lit For Life Unplugged is done in association with Christ University, associate partner Akshayakalpa & Orchids – The International School, and bookstore partner Crossword.
On December 12, 6pm at Cheroot, ITC Grand Chola, Guindy. Entry is free — the programming is on us, the drinks are on you. Seats are limited to 70, and need to be booked ahead. Scan the QR code to register. In the run up to The Hindu Lit For Life on January 17 and 18, 2026, watch out for more events as a part of Lit for Life Unplugged. Follow @hindulitforlife on Instagram for more updates.
Published – December 05, 2025 02:05 pm IST
