The Debt That India Owes Britain
“British government conceded Indian self-rule, they thought this the right thing to do. What would have happened to the Koreans or the Vietnamese if a local Gandhi had tried such tactics against the brutal Japanese kempetai or the French with their mercenaries from Morocco and Senegal? It was not that Gandhi was successful but that the British were forbearing … Gandhi’s tactics only work if the other side lets it …” Christie Davies’ Blog The Social Affairs Unit.
We ungrateful oriental so-and-so
Indians are an ungrateful lot. How can we forget the British and give Gandhi all the credit.
Ever the oriental selfishness. Why can we not sacrifice ourselves for the Great British Empire? Can we even imagine that the Greatest Empire in history had anything but the milk of human kindness oozing out of Britain, at the time of granting Independence. After WW2, even though Britain was on rationing, they let us browns go independent.
I wonder who put Jinnah onto this job?
The end of extraction
Churchill very much wanted the option of squeezing the brown man at least a little more. Whatever little there was left of the brown man after the Great Bengal Famine of 1943.
Clement Attlee pointed out that there was nothing left to squeeze. Attlee thought that the cost of squeezing was greater than the value of the extract. After Montagu Norman, Churchill, Lord Willingdon, Neville Chamberlain had finished with the Great Bullion Scam against India from 1925-1945. After the war was over and the brown man was used in Africa and Europe. They let us go – and allowed us to rule ourselves.
How can we ever repay this debt?
The gift of English language
First, the great benefit of English language.
These stupid Germans, Italians, Japanese, Russians, French, Chinese – they don’t know what we know!! English is the universal language. All other super powers and developed countries (Japan, China, Russia, France, Germany, Italy) use their own respective languages. They could have been very successful (like India) if they had learnt English, talked English, walked English, read English, cooked English, washed English, done everything in English.
Colonial stereotypes!
I must admit, this small, little, disloyal question keeps raising its head, in my head? Why cant the British use that great English language to lift themselves from that terminal decline?
Indian industry
Can we ever forget the Lees-Mody pact which saved the Indian farmer from ruin on 28th October 1933?
The Japanese had stopped purchase of Indian cotton. Never mind the fact that the British raised customs duty for imported Japanese cloth (increasing the cost to the consumer) to protect the Lancashire Mills, which were hurting by the Gandhian (that tricky so and so oriental) boycott.
We ungrateful Indians must further appreciate the British sacrifice and the industrial cost of conceding self rule to India.
Within 10 years of Indian independence, the British car industry started closing down. British Steel collapsed and had to be nationalised within 20 years (Ratan Tata may revive British Steel finally). British coal mining became unviable within 15 years – and had to be shut finally. British Rail similarly collapsed. It is now making a hesitant comeback after privatisation. British capital goods industry (electrical, heavy machinery, electronics) went out of business. There is no British automotive industry worth talking about.
All due to us Indians hankering for Independence..
Colonial railways
But they did teach Laloo Prasad Yadav how to run Indian Railways profitably.
Should we complain so much, if we inherited a decrepit, run down, accident prone, investment starved railway system with outdated technology from the British? Should we be ungrateful, if this railway system was financed by Indian capital?
Even though it took India 40 years, to modernize the colonial railway system, we should be thankful. Remember, they could have uprooted the rails, and taken away the wagons and engines. After all, Indian Railways was the biggest scrap iron collection in the world at that time.
Till Lal Bahadur Shastri’s resignation – the poor Indian railway-man was routinely blamed for railway accidents – by his British, and later the Indian bosses also. It was Shastri’s resignation, that drew attention to the state of the railways. It was Madhu Dandvate in 1977 who started overhauling railway time tables – and upgraded rail travel from cattle class to IInd class.
Captive markets and raw material
What could the British do without captive markets and raw material sources?
The British let all this go – so that Indian industry could survive. British business manager taught Indian businessmen how to run business competitively – and completely ignored their own business. Today, Britain has very few of the colonial era multinationals. British (The Great Benefactors) said – Go forth, brown man.
Some biased historians claim that the Britishers said to us Indians, “We know that you can do nothing by yourself. You are useless to us now. You are a burden to us. We have sucked you dry. But, you want to go away from our protective umbrella. Go forth and stagnate at the bottom”, at the time of Independence. I don’t believe that.
Like I don’t believe that the sun rises in the East (it is a conspiracy against us).
Are you not disappinted, Mr.Pukka Sahib?
Colonial Indian bureaucracy
We also do not appreciate their kindness towards us!
The other British legacy that we should be very grateful is our colonial bureaucracy. This colonial era bureaucracy, a permanent establishment, has been growing faster than our population – thrives by demonizing Indian politicians. Its corruption is aided by a myriad laws created by the same bureaucracy – for the benefit of Indians. In most states this bureaucracy takes up all the Governmental revenues and and leaves nothing but tax increases for us.
The British never intended to benefit from these entrenched laws and bureaucracy.
One reader did point out,
“Look what happens when you let these people rule themselves. The whole of black Africa has become a basket case. The people are ripped off by their rulers, in a far worse way than they ever were under white rule. Many of their citizens long for the return of white rule and the stability that would bring. It’s just a shame they are never going to get it.
All countries in the Middle East, with the exception of Israel, are ruled by thugs who use terror and their police forces to destroy any opposition.”
Indians responded, (in a very disloyal manner), by using the same logic against the British themselves.
By this logic, the way Britain is being run, it will need to be governed by guess who – Indians. Looking at where India was after the end of the Raj – and now, it is clear who is better at governing.
Looking at the ‘decline’ of Britain (what will happen after the secession of Scotland and Wales?) and Spain, after the end of Black Moslem rule, and you know who should be ruling over Britain and Spain at least.
Whatcha say …
How disloyal Indians can be? Imagine, questioning the British themselves? How can they?!
They Didn’t Wipe Us Out – Like ‘Red Indians’ And Aborigines
Recent archaeological (available with me) evidence shows that the British were repaying our kindness. Indians “marwari” seths had lent Queen Bodicea some money about 78 AD during her struggle against the Romans 2000 years ago. The British have never forgotten that. (Only the British and I know this secret story – based on documents to which only I have access in my family custody for 2000 years).
Hence, they did not kill us Indians in the numbers that they killed (more than 10 lakh Kenyans in 10 years) in the Mau Mau uprising. Or they did not torture and kill Indians the way they killed the Malaysians. Due to this reason, they also did not establish apartheid the way they did in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa. This unblemished record of the British against other people had nothing to do with Gandhiji. Gandhiji’s focus on post-colonial India, had nothing to with the existence of our statehood.
It was all the British legacy.
They let Gandhiji succeed
Just like the Whites in US of America allowed Martin Luther King to follow Gandhiji’s ideology. They have permitted the Negroes to make more progress in the last 30 years than in the previous 300 years.
Similar to the permission granted, by the White Apartheid Regime in South Africa, for Nelson Mandela to become successful. I wonder why his neighbours Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkome were not given that permission. Lech Walesa’s success in Poland is there for all to see – after the Communist Regimes in Poland permitted these protests to happen.
Why didn’t they just kill Gandhiji
It would have been so easy. The one British failure was that they did not kill Gandhi. That job was outsourced to an Indian “coolie”. This was one thing that they could have done – but didn’t do! In my books, we should be eternally grateful to the British Colonialist for not killing Gandhiji.
PS – If all else fails, there is the path of political assassination. A few days ago, from Washington, USA, someone Googled to ask “why britishers didn’t kill gandhi“. Perhaps, that was one moment in history, when the political leaders of the Anglo Saxon Bloc were momentarily humanised.
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The Indian historiography of the period 1942-1947 is far more muddled than anyone can imagine.
You sarcasm notwithstanding, I am not too sure what you are trying to say here… are you attempting to cut through that haze? is the “secondlook” in the content or the context?
Perhaps, you might be assuming certain preordained views in your readers, which is why I might be getting confused…
Care to take a second cut at your post? either eliminate or preface your sarcasm with a line or two of commentary…
In the last 1 week, (is it a co-incidence) that I have seen too much and and heard some people talk about the British “contribution”.
For one these Hindraf guys have set my teeth on edge. How can they go to the British?
Then this blog which is at the beginning of my post. I know some people today blame (or credit) the British for our problems, failures and successes.
We have had enough time to set right whatever the British Colonial administration has done. How can we moan about it or credit them for that.
By the same token, how can the British take any credit for our successes – and are they taking any responsibility for actions for 200 years.
Got it
Hindraf – it’s sad that in a world where interventionism is a norm – that India (or at least the present government) selectively chooses to turn a blind eye. Just shameful.
– “How can we moan about it or credit them for that.”
No matter what – moaning or crediting are wasteful … but understanding the real history isn’t. There’s so much about India’s history that is messed up, that first needs to be cleaned – so that the game of “blame” or “contemplation” can be played with a level playing field.
I am attempting to do that in Operation Red Lotus… let’s see how that goes.
“Recent archaeological (available with me) evidence shows that the British were repaying our kindness. Indians “marwari” seths had lent Queen Bodicea some money about 78 AD during her struggle against the Romans 2000 years ago. The British have never forgotten that. (Only the British and I know this secret story – based on documents to which only I have access in my family custody for 2000 years).”
Is this for real?
I personally like British people but your central argument that we as Indians “owe” them something is misleading, factually incorrect and a huge slap on our freedom fighters who laid down their lives to enable you and me to have our own Indian identity.
More than we owe them, the British took away a lot of things from India. India’s contribution to world trade was 25% in 1800 which is less than 2% today. Britain’s industrial revolution happened because Indians parted with their money to buy clothes from Lancashire and Manchester mills (You yourself said India’s independence led to the closing of British steel mills etc.) I don’t begrudge the British making the best use of money earned from India in developing their infrastructure, education etc. things that we Indians are doing NOW.
Also, Indians sent MILLIONS of soldiers to fight under the crown in both world wars.
My single point is the British owe Indians much more than it’s the other way around.
Read it again. You are mistaken. You are NOT getting the message.
Most importantly they Taught India how to be civilised. Well some of us learn anyway. We need the British back for sure!
Ajay – Those poor, depressed Brits yokels, in their state of terminal decline, would be quite happy to read your message.
More than ‘US’ needing ‘THEM’, they probably need you, Ajay.
If you like, I can put in a word with the Brits to take in some loyal browns like you back into the Raj. They have had a problem, ever since, Black Slaves stopped working for them. They have been waiting for some volunteers. Now that you have come, they will be happy.
You can then happily serve your Great White Masters – and leave us dirty, unwashed browns behind – not to forget the uncivilized bit.
We would be quite happy without you – the feeling I assure you is mutual.
classic
i just read an article where this frenchwoman is berating the british…
this reminds me of a famous quote-
” you either hate the british or love them,
Most people simply hate them…”
Well Cat Meow /Kung foo fighting –
I don’t think I hate them are love’em … they are just too irrelevant today to open their mouths …
So, when they open their mouths … is when I get worked up …
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As far as I am concerned, it is Britain who owes India………A LOT. Britain exploited India. Many of the sciences Europeans and Chinese use today are of Indian origin. Even the idea of the atomic bomb is of Indian origin, since all us geniuses here know that Oppenheimer got all his ideas from the Vedic texts. Britain got rich off India.
Plus today in Britain, Punjabis run 90% of the entire economy as doctors, bankers and other significant jobs while the rest of the population rely on Indians paying for their welfare in that welfare state, which these lazy British bastards can’t survive without. It is mostly these English, Celts, Muslims and other non-Indian minorities who rely on Indians paying for them. Jesus Christ man, they should get their lazy asses and find themselves jobs.
Britain was just another conquering power, like the Moguls before them and like the Moguls, they got rich off India because of the people and their resources, which is lacking in their own native lands of origin ie Northern Europe and Central Asia.
And of course I agree with everything Ashish said, since he already said it before I did.
Peace y’all