A socio-cultural investigation by Srishti Kannan
For two centuries, the people of India were forced to live in a restrictive environment where they were oppressed and exploited. In the 1700s, the British, who were then industrially much superior, gradually colonised India, which was then barely a collection of princely states. Over the years, they introduced multiple acts to curb the civil liberties of Indians, indicating confidence in their own cultural and racial superiority. The Rowlatt Act, the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 and the Sedition Act serve as few such examples. In fact, present-day Rashtrapati Bhavan stands on Raisina Hill - land that had been forcefully acquired by displacing local villages and tribes during the British Raj to build the Viceroy’s house.
To this day, the citizens of India have not forgotten the ample history between them and the British. How can they? An era’s worth of history cannot be dismissed after a mere 74 years. What’s most intriguing, though, is that despite their tumultuous history, the majority of Indians don’t seem to have any strong anti-British sentiment. While many believe that the Indian subcontinent was already ahead of the western world in terms of sciences and mathematics, the sentiment isn’t explicitly targeted towards the UK. And while “firang” is still used widely as a derogatory term in India, it doesn’t spark a sense of resentment or hatred. So when we take into account all that India put up with during the colonial era, it seems curious that the people of current-day India lack an anti-British sentiment.
After analysing British-Indian historical and current day affairs, here are some reasons why the sentiment originated, or rather - failed to originate.
1. Nature of leadership during the freedom movement.
Although leaders of the freedom movement protested against the British and charged a revolution in the country, they continued to respect the British. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi and those who promoted similar ideals did not neglect the fundamental dignity of any individual, including the British. People were encouraged, even after independence and under the governance of Jawaharlal Nehru, to remain pacifistic and non-discriminative in their ideals. This could have set a precedent for years to come.
2. India’s own agenda kept them busy
The country was born out of partition. The India-Pakistan partition still remains a devastating memory for the nation. The partition would have undeniably kept the country occupied during the first few years of independence. More importantly, the British had left India sundered into roughly 584 princely states. Bringing them together to form one union was a task in itself. Apart from that, the Indian Constitution was still being formed through thorough debates, discussions and documentation - a process that could not be cut short. India, like any other developing nation, had internal issues and affairs to deal with. Building a nation with the burden of partition and the anxiety related to its future did not permit much time and thought to feel and foster vengeance or hold grudges against the British.
3. The British left a considerably positive impact on India
If not for the British, India may not have been this union of states or even a people’s country. Gaining independence from the British gave people a collaborative goal to work towards. People living in different areas of the vast land we now know as India realised the similarities between them and cooperated with each other to free themselves and form one union. When the British administered India, they set up infrastructure from roads and railways to establishments and institutions. Though these were then set up for the Britishers’ own convenience in exploiting India’s land and resources, it provided a means through which people from different areas could connect with each other. Not to mention, much of this infrastructure is used in India to date. Christian missionaries during colonial rule forcibly attempted to teach all Indians English. Although they were wrong in degrading other native languages, this still provided a basis for an English education system that has been beneficial to us in several ways. As a matter of fact, the British introduced the Government of India Act 1935 that proposed a system of 7 provincial governments that were overlooked by a central government. This act provides the groundwork for the government system that India abides by to this day.
4. Indians started imbibing parts of the British lifestyle
The British entered India through the East India Company over four hundred years ago, and British Raj lasted for around two centuries. An exchange of cultures was bound to take place by this time. Indians gained and emulated habits the British introduced before they left. As a result, India’s acceptance of British cultures increased and thus stopped us from externalising them. Whether eating with cutlery or the shirts and pants that most Indians wear in day to day life, they’re all part of the British influence on India - a sort of colonial hangover. After independence, people adapted to the lifestyle they found most convenient, embedding some aspects of British culture into modern Indian culture.
All in all, the lack of anti-British sentiment has been beneficial to Indian society. It’s a step closer to living in a world with less hate and more inclusion. However, at this point, it merits making a note of the recent developments taking place in Indian politics. With BJP in power, India is leaning towards the RSS Hindutva sentiment that takes more of an extremist nationalist standpoint. Only time will tell how this ideology will unravel the more concealed or repressed sentiments and beliefs of the people of India.
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