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lmaomaidah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
bookerworm's review against another edition
5.0
Finally finished reading this book. I had to take a month's break in between. This book blames the British for all of India's problems. We have a tendency to give a free pass to the British for 200 years of slavery but blame Mughals. This book is an eye opener and surprised more Indians are not enraged at what the British did.
I loved the book. It is well researched and Shashi Tharoor has a great sense of humour. Must read.
I loved the book. It is well researched and Shashi Tharoor has a great sense of humour. Must read.
shrutt_ruia's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
I started this because I feel there was always the difference of opinions in the way of historians and normal people. Normal people don't give much obligation and weight to the matter of truth about the British, and we think that why every indian historian blood boils when they talk about brits and the era of raj? (not politicians).
But the book is an eye opener, which answers why normal people should be angry about the characteristics of the British and how they left India with the 3% gdp of the world. We were 27% before the British.
But the book is an eye opener, which answers why normal people should be angry about the characteristics of the British and how they left India with the 3% gdp of the world. We were 27% before the British.
aradhana_mathews's review against another edition
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
This book is a product of the famous Oxford speech Tharoor gave in 2015 (if you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it NOW). In the preface, Tharoor mentions that he believed his arguments at Oxford to be well-known in India, only to be surprised to find that this was not true.
And thus, “An Era of Darkness” was created, not as a chronology of historical events during British rule (as in Dalrymple’s “The Anarchy”), but as a deeper scrutiny of arguments claiming that British rule was in any way beneficial to India, as well as some of the standard apologist perspectives (regarding the Indian railways, the English language, etc.)
After reading this book, there is no doubt in my mind that British rule is the darkest stain upon Indian history, and there is no excuse for the way they destroyed what was once among the most powerful countries in the world; to give you a broad sense of the havoc the British wreaked upon us, India before the British contributed to around 23% of the world’s GDP; after the British, that number dwindled down to a horrifying 3%, as the British took everything they possibly could from our country - from food, to resources, historical treasures and much, much more, leaving a nation of poverty-stricken, starving Indians to clean up the mess.
And they still had the audacity to claim that they were the more civilised people.
Reading this wonderfully written book opened my eyes to the unbelievable extent of damage and destruction caused by the British, leaving me saddened and disgusted at their rampant barbarism poorly disguised as noble administration.
I would highly recommend this to everyone - for us Indians to educate ourselves on the darkest era of our history, and for those in other countries to learn the truth of what really happened during this terrible time.
And thus, “An Era of Darkness” was created, not as a chronology of historical events during British rule (as in Dalrymple’s “The Anarchy”), but as a deeper scrutiny of arguments claiming that British rule was in any way beneficial to India, as well as some of the standard apologist perspectives (regarding the Indian railways, the English language, etc.)
After reading this book, there is no doubt in my mind that British rule is the darkest stain upon Indian history, and there is no excuse for the way they destroyed what was once among the most powerful countries in the world; to give you a broad sense of the havoc the British wreaked upon us, India before the British contributed to around 23% of the world’s GDP; after the British, that number dwindled down to a horrifying 3%, as the British took everything they possibly could from our country - from food, to resources, historical treasures and much, much more, leaving a nation of poverty-stricken, starving Indians to clean up the mess.
And they still had the audacity to claim that they were the more civilised people.
Reading this wonderfully written book opened my eyes to the unbelievable extent of damage and destruction caused by the British, leaving me saddened and disgusted at their rampant barbarism poorly disguised as noble administration.
I would highly recommend this to everyone - for us Indians to educate ourselves on the darkest era of our history, and for those in other countries to learn the truth of what really happened during this terrible time.
nuts246's review against another edition
5.0
I thought I knew my history, but only after testing this book did I realise just how much of what we teach as history echos the Anglo viewpoint. We learnt about the battles and about the Freedom Movement but not about how the Company and then the Empire really destroyed the Economy of the Nation.
The Indigo Revolution merited a line in our history books and even that was discussed only because a classmate referenced Micheal Madhusudan Dutt’s masterpiece. The vantage paining from which I view my history is quite different now, and is the picture different!!!!
The Indigo Revolution merited a line in our history books and even that was discussed only because a classmate referenced Micheal Madhusudan Dutt’s masterpiece. The vantage paining from which I view my history is quite different now, and is the picture different!!!!
nithesh_123's review against another edition
3.0
Well researched and well written. However, I do differ with some of his comparisons and opinions in this book
sudeepta_booksteaandmore's review against another edition
5.0
Shashi Tharoor wrote this book post his speech on “Britain owes reparations to her formal colonies” in the Oxford Union that went viral. The novelty of this book lies in the fact that the primary focus of this book is not on the British colonialism and its history but the actual impact of it on India as a nation right from our industries, economy, culture, natural resources, and geography. This book educated me in such an important facet of Indian history which is missed out as all we remember are dates and events and we do not focus on the actual impact of these. Also, the book really debates and brings out arguments against popular beliefs that British brought railways to India, Tharoor in an excellent way portrays how all this was done for the benefit of the British and not for India as a country.
viveknshah's review against another edition
5.0
I feel our history textbooks have sanitised the British occupation and whilst I knew things were bad, this book helped me quantify through facts, figures and references on how badly the odds were stacked against my ancestors. A well researched book pointing to various laws and acts and social barriers that destroyed a lot of fabric of Indian society pushing us back decades if not centuries in various aspects of life and economy to fulfil avarice and greed of a capitalistic company working on its bottom line.
While not bed time reading, if you are a fan of understanding Indian history in the British era, this is a great read to provide you facts and figures to substantiate your living room arguments next time you meet someone who says British rule benefited India.
While not bed time reading, if you are a fan of understanding Indian history in the British era, this is a great read to provide you facts and figures to substantiate your living room arguments next time you meet someone who says British rule benefited India.
kavinay's review against another edition
5.0
"Divide and rule," "The Raj, " "indentured servitude." If you're of Indian descent, you've probably heard your older family mutter these words with disdain yet never really grasped the sheer horror of British terror that informed their disgust.
There is a rising tide of apologia for colonialism. The ilk of Niall Ferguson sincerely believe that it wasn't all that bad--and they'd be right if all you had to go on were their fantasies of colonial uplift. This is where Shashi Tharoor shines. He simply lays out the best possible excuses for defenders of Britain's treatment of India and then demolishes each nostalgic delusion with historical context, records and facts.
Ultimately, Tharoor's positive argument is pretty simple when you get past all the Imperial gloss: Indians were people. Their lives mattered just as much as yours and mine--but this could never be the case during British rule in India.
There is a rising tide of apologia for colonialism. The ilk of Niall Ferguson sincerely believe that it wasn't all that bad--and they'd be right if all you had to go on were their fantasies of colonial uplift. This is where Shashi Tharoor shines. He simply lays out the best possible excuses for defenders of Britain's treatment of India and then demolishes each nostalgic delusion with historical context, records and facts.
Ultimately, Tharoor's positive argument is pretty simple when you get past all the Imperial gloss: Indians were people. Their lives mattered just as much as yours and mine--but this could never be the case during British rule in India.