Photo by Maahid Photos on Unsplash
How the colonial legacy has brought diversity and change to India.
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ndia has become one of the fastest growing economies, with an exponentially growing population, and its culture spreading far across the globe. However, India’s past is riddled with controversy and conflict, colonised by the British Empire in 1857 and only gaining independence in 1947; this legacy has helped shape modern day India. The earliest English interference was the East India company, a group of English trade merchants, who set up trading posts in India in 1612. At this point in time Mughal India was thriving economically and culturally. The famous landmark Taj Mahal was built during this time and Persian culture was being integrated with Indian, seen in much preserved artwork. It was a period of religious tolerance between Muslims and Hindus, and political and economic stability with the introduction of a structured tax system. As the hold of the Mughal Empire loosened, the East India company took advantage and ruled from 1757 to 1857. This ended because of an Indian rebellion, the company
Ria consequently transferred power over to the crown, Queen Victoria, officially marking the beginning of the British Raj. During and after British colonisation, India saw much religious tension between Hindus and Muslims, the country was later partitioned, now known as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The British Raj had a divide and conquer strategy, for example, a law set in place in 1871 gave Muslims a separate electorate to other religions, making people more aware of the religious identity of those around them. As this religious divide grew, the British became more aware of the brewing conflict and, after many protests allowed Indian independence. However, before leaving, Cyril Radcliffe, an English lawyer who’d never been to India before, was tasked with splitting up India in 36 days to decrease racial tension. The regions of Kashmir and Hyderabad were not given to either India or Pakistan. The announcement of partition
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saw 15 million people uprooted as refugees between India and Pakistan, 1.5 million deaths, starvation, and disease. Since independence there have been three wars regarding Kashmir, including India, Pakistan and even China. Only last year Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets in Kashmir, sparking more national and religious tension. Both countries have heavily militarised Kashmir and it is now the most militarised region in the world. Kashmiri’s are yet to receive a vote on which country they want to be part of, this conflict has been central to tense relations in Asia for 70 years. Although there has always been religious tension, especially between Hindu’s and Muslims, it seems to be increasing, now even more so, with threats of nuclear war. The colonial legacy and partition changed the nature of religious tension, it facilitated the alienation of minorities, resulting in more violence, on an individual and national scale. Some may argue India’s economy has benefitted from its colonial
