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Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India
by Shashi Tharoor
Celebrating 75 glorious years of Indian Independence by learning more about Indian History. Having born after more than 2 generations after India became independent, most of us have taken this liberty for granted. I am ashamed to say that I didn't know most of our dark past. We were forced to memorize some dates like the battle of Plassey, battle of Buxar, Simon commission etc, in school and regurgigate them in the exams (Another bane of the British system of education) but never really learned much.
Shashi Tharoor helps to clear up this ignorance through this well articulated book, backed with sufficient data and statistics. I have highlighted so many passages in this book that the pages look yellow.
Tharoor tears apart every argument of the Raj-apologists. I was appalled to read about the racist attitude of some of the noted British like Churchill, Curzon, Clive, Dyer, Rudyard Kipling who were/ are still hailed as heroes.
The details of horrors committed on the native Indians by the colonists doesnt make it a easy read. The Jallianwallahbagh massacre, the devastation during the Bengal famine made me sad and angry. I had known about the great famine in Bengal that killed millions but just assumed it was because of shortage of food. This was an eyeopener where he tells there was no shortage. Grains were exported to England and the soldiers well fed, and even to topup European stockpiles in Greece. The poor farmers still had to pay the taxes and had nothing to feed on. Churchill tells "the starvation of anyway underfed Bengalis is less serious than that of sturdy Greeks" and "....why hasn't Gandhi died yet (in the famine)"
We look back with horror about the Ukranian famine but how many of us know about the Bengali famine?
Their greedy devastation of the forests to grow tea and opium and the destruction of wildlife (tigers and leapords became almost extinct).
Though this book is not comprehensive, Tharoor provides the relevant information and background on how these incidents in the past shaped the India of today. For e.g The snooping incident of the 'Amrit Bazaar Patrika' had a major role in Kashmir becoming a part of India.
This book is a must read for all and particularly for every Indian.
Shashi Tharoor helps to clear up this ignorance through this well articulated book, backed with sufficient data and statistics. I have highlighted so many passages in this book that the pages look yellow.
Tharoor tears apart every argument of the Raj-apologists. I was appalled to read about the racist attitude of some of the noted British like Churchill, Curzon, Clive, Dyer, Rudyard Kipling who were/ are still hailed as heroes.
The details of horrors committed on the native Indians by the colonists doesnt make it a easy read. The Jallianwallahbagh massacre, the devastation during the Bengal famine made me sad and angry. I had known about the great famine in Bengal that killed millions but just assumed it was because of shortage of food. This was an eyeopener where he tells there was no shortage. Grains were exported to England and the soldiers well fed, and even to topup European stockpiles in Greece. The poor farmers still had to pay the taxes and had nothing to feed on. Churchill tells "the starvation of anyway underfed Bengalis is less serious than that of sturdy Greeks" and "....why hasn't Gandhi died yet (in the famine)"
We look back with horror about the Ukranian famine but how many of us know about the Bengali famine?
Their greedy devastation of the forests to grow tea and opium and the destruction of wildlife (tigers and leapords became almost extinct).
Though this book is not comprehensive, Tharoor provides the relevant information and background on how these incidents in the past shaped the India of today. For e.g The snooping incident of the 'Amrit Bazaar Patrika' had a major role in Kashmir becoming a part of India.
This book is a must read for all and particularly for every Indian.