"The British Empire in India was so easily won, so narrowly based, so absurdly easily ruled thanks to the devotion of a few and the passivity of many"
- Eric Hobsbawm,
eminent British Historian
After 'Pax Indica', this is the second book by Shashi Tharoor that I've read.
For 2 centuries (circa), the British ruled India. Many books were written on the question of the British Rule and Legacy, some being excellent and unbiased historical works. Although many issues highlighted in this book are well known to the students of history especially of the colonial past, the way the book is edited and peppered with views ranging from that of Robert Clive to 'Gurudev' Rabindranath Tagore makes it an interesting read.
The tragedy of the late 18th century was that as modern ideals inspired by the French Revolution swept across Europe (Liberty, Equality and Fraternity) along with advancements in Science and Technology, in stark contrast, the British won battle after battle in India, forging (and only to betray later) short term alliances, treaties and innovative methods of annexation (Doctrine of Lapse etc), finally culminating in a mindset of 'Whiteman's Burden'. What followed immediately was the complete destruction of Indian self-sufficient rural economy, a drain of wealth so meticulously planned and executed that had no parallel in history.
There are exceptional cases too, where progress can be credited to the British. Sir Arthur Cotton, who built a dam across river Godavari fighting against his own superiors, comes to my mind as an example and he is also immortalized as the modern day Bhagiratha i.e, the mythical king who brought River Ganges to the Earth (కాటనాం తాం భగీరథాం). But innovations like Railways, Telegraphs were planned with the primary intention of protecting and furthering British interests in India.
This is neither the first book on British Legacy nor will it be the last one. However, we are with the author, Shashi Tharoor, who frankly questions the way colonial history is taught in Britain, pitching for an informed and fact based debate on the ill-effects of British rule in India.
