British
British, should we hate them?? I used to and still am not their biggest fan. Reasons I’ll tell but first why I changed. I hated history, like every other thing in my curriculum, it bored me. But as soon the subject was gone from my schedule I have developed a strange liking for it. I actually read all my history books again, this time with all my interest, not for marks but for knowledge, to know who we are, and how we became what we are.
Earlier when I read history, I did it for a different reason and was not analytical in my approach. What I did was just rote for exams. As we all know that the books offer facts which are explained in a manner that suits the perception of the author and in case of history what has been portrayed through the years is that the English were bad, they ruled over us and what all they did was unjust. We are made to believe that they are tyrants and lootere who came and ransacked us of our riches and then were thrown out only when the valiant warriors of India sacrificed for us. I am not underestimating the sacrifices of our freedom fighters, because after all it was them because of which we breathe freedom and fear no one. Our land is finally ours. But then what we overlook is the very fact that in spite of all this there was much that the British gave in return of their rule in India.
Let me put forward some of the points because of which I have changed my view a little bit.
First of all, it was because of the British that India is what it is today. By this I mean the geographical and the political unity that we now display. Earlier we were just a group of small independent princely states who could not stand each other. Very similar to what Afghanistan is today. Small disintegrated land of fighting clans. The British did it just to forward their policy of ruling the world and helped us. Else we would still have been what we were some two hundred years back. Fighting and planning for the next fight. When the British left they had already formed a basic skeleton of a new nation, seventh biggest in the world and the biggest democracy. Our politicians of that age, driven by the zeal to make a new country contributed a lot in making this possible. After the British left it was Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel who worked furiously to give shape to what is India now. Had it not been him and others who helped him, supported him we all would again be fighting all. Also the British got us to use a common currency, administration and taxes binding us for a common fate.
Next what I feel is the biggest gift of the British rule is the English language. Something our fore fathers learned to get lucrative jobs under queen’s rule and we learn to rule the world. It is a priceless gift which has immensely helped us. This language is now the global lingua-franca and one cannot do with out it in this flat world. Where ever you go, be it China, Japan or Europe this is one thing you can definitely not go without. Even the French and the Chinese have now woken up to the fact that they have to learn English and its not going to be other way around. The economic growth of our country can be attributed mainly to the service industry and the back office work that we do. Had it not been for English we would still not be as well off as we are today. Our knowledge of this language has helped us moult our image from that of the land of the snake charmers and the elephants to the one of being the technology people. Besides the economic advantage that we have gained from this language there is one distinct advantage which we cannot possibly overlook. India is a land of diversity. Changing slowly from one end to the other and becoming absolutely different by the time you reach the end. The cultures and everything is so different and unique for every state, one has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. This is where the knowledge of English has helped us. Earlier on we could not have thought of a national language as we think of now. Then the times were very sensitive and even a small provocation could have ended in a disaster. That time it was this language that held us together till the cement of trust and understanding set in and gave us Bharat.
After the language and the national integration, how do we maintain it. We have communication to help us rule. The post and telegraph system set up by the British is what we still use. Today we use cellular technologies to communicate but then it was them who started it, other wise there was a very distinct possibility and a high probability that we would have been left using pigeons and runners to convey our messages, a lazy lot is what we Indians are, we would have been satisfied by what we use. In India sab chalta hai bhai, tension kyun lene ka, message mil gaya naa, jaldi karke kya karte???
Again transport system was build by them and it is still the same that we use today. Be it the Mumbai local or the tram of Calcutta, we still travel and had they not been built by the british I cannot say if we would have had them. The railway system is a real master piece of engineering, helping us a lot, especially the middle class to travel and the industry to transport. Curse as much as you may want to the railways for running late but remember the people who made it possible for us to travel. Some may say, the British did it to serve their own ends, but then think for some time, the rulers of this country at those time were busy building forts and palaces for their luxury, and attending mushaira’s and writing proses for their enterainment and satisfaction. The technological advancements were very few in those times in our country unlike the earlier times when we ruled in education and technology. The world was getting industrialized and we were attending more concerts. And looked a bit more analytically that too was not entirely our fault, we had little problem with the system and were pretty satisfied with the things and when this is the case then what they did is what humans do, relax. Hence what they did has indeed helped us.
The technology they brought in helped us a lot. The weather forecasting methods for a better agricultural produce, the digging up of canals for irrigation of far off lands, till now dependent solely on rains cannot be overlooked or underestimated. All these and many more have helped us a lot.
One more thing, giving us a distinct economic advantage now is that the understanding that we gained from the effective usage of the youth energy. Earlier most of this energy was wasted in the fields playing games and doing nothing else. The british helped us to use this in a fruitful manner. It started getting used in more than one ways. The british brought in many new career avenues like engineering, medical and law, which were before then very unorganised and not in the form it is seen today. This gave youth the power of choice, earlier on they usually did what their forefathers have been doing for ages and many a times with out interest. Any other work was taken to be a rebellion by the family members. With the new avenues opening up, they were considered to be prestigious and finally the young could choose. For many though it still remained a choice made be their family none the less many took advantage of the opportunity. For others the freedom struggle helped them use their energy for a common cause. This gave us many leaders which may not have been there save for the british and their ways.
These and many more points can be cited and analysed on how we were helped. Just that cannot think of more now. J J J J J
Earlier when I read history, I did it for a different reason and was not analytical in my approach. What I did was just rote for exams. As we all know that the books offer facts which are explained in a manner that suits the perception of the author and in case of history what has been portrayed through the years is that the English were bad, they ruled over us and what all they did was unjust. We are made to believe that they are tyrants and lootere who came and ransacked us of our riches and then were thrown out only when the valiant warriors of India sacrificed for us. I am not underestimating the sacrifices of our freedom fighters, because after all it was them because of which we breathe freedom and fear no one. Our land is finally ours. But then what we overlook is the very fact that in spite of all this there was much that the British gave in return of their rule in India.
Let me put forward some of the points because of which I have changed my view a little bit.
First of all, it was because of the British that India is what it is today. By this I mean the geographical and the political unity that we now display. Earlier we were just a group of small independent princely states who could not stand each other. Very similar to what Afghanistan is today. Small disintegrated land of fighting clans. The British did it just to forward their policy of ruling the world and helped us. Else we would still have been what we were some two hundred years back. Fighting and planning for the next fight. When the British left they had already formed a basic skeleton of a new nation, seventh biggest in the world and the biggest democracy. Our politicians of that age, driven by the zeal to make a new country contributed a lot in making this possible. After the British left it was Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel who worked furiously to give shape to what is India now. Had it not been him and others who helped him, supported him we all would again be fighting all. Also the British got us to use a common currency, administration and taxes binding us for a common fate.
Next what I feel is the biggest gift of the British rule is the English language. Something our fore fathers learned to get lucrative jobs under queen’s rule and we learn to rule the world. It is a priceless gift which has immensely helped us. This language is now the global lingua-franca and one cannot do with out it in this flat world. Where ever you go, be it China, Japan or Europe this is one thing you can definitely not go without. Even the French and the Chinese have now woken up to the fact that they have to learn English and its not going to be other way around. The economic growth of our country can be attributed mainly to the service industry and the back office work that we do. Had it not been for English we would still not be as well off as we are today. Our knowledge of this language has helped us moult our image from that of the land of the snake charmers and the elephants to the one of being the technology people. Besides the economic advantage that we have gained from this language there is one distinct advantage which we cannot possibly overlook. India is a land of diversity. Changing slowly from one end to the other and becoming absolutely different by the time you reach the end. The cultures and everything is so different and unique for every state, one has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. This is where the knowledge of English has helped us. Earlier on we could not have thought of a national language as we think of now. Then the times were very sensitive and even a small provocation could have ended in a disaster. That time it was this language that held us together till the cement of trust and understanding set in and gave us Bharat.
After the language and the national integration, how do we maintain it. We have communication to help us rule. The post and telegraph system set up by the British is what we still use. Today we use cellular technologies to communicate but then it was them who started it, other wise there was a very distinct possibility and a high probability that we would have been left using pigeons and runners to convey our messages, a lazy lot is what we Indians are, we would have been satisfied by what we use. In India sab chalta hai bhai, tension kyun lene ka, message mil gaya naa, jaldi karke kya karte???
Again transport system was build by them and it is still the same that we use today. Be it the Mumbai local or the tram of Calcutta, we still travel and had they not been built by the british I cannot say if we would have had them. The railway system is a real master piece of engineering, helping us a lot, especially the middle class to travel and the industry to transport. Curse as much as you may want to the railways for running late but remember the people who made it possible for us to travel. Some may say, the British did it to serve their own ends, but then think for some time, the rulers of this country at those time were busy building forts and palaces for their luxury, and attending mushaira’s and writing proses for their enterainment and satisfaction. The technological advancements were very few in those times in our country unlike the earlier times when we ruled in education and technology. The world was getting industrialized and we were attending more concerts. And looked a bit more analytically that too was not entirely our fault, we had little problem with the system and were pretty satisfied with the things and when this is the case then what they did is what humans do, relax. Hence what they did has indeed helped us.
The technology they brought in helped us a lot. The weather forecasting methods for a better agricultural produce, the digging up of canals for irrigation of far off lands, till now dependent solely on rains cannot be overlooked or underestimated. All these and many more have helped us a lot.
One more thing, giving us a distinct economic advantage now is that the understanding that we gained from the effective usage of the youth energy. Earlier most of this energy was wasted in the fields playing games and doing nothing else. The british helped us to use this in a fruitful manner. It started getting used in more than one ways. The british brought in many new career avenues like engineering, medical and law, which were before then very unorganised and not in the form it is seen today. This gave youth the power of choice, earlier on they usually did what their forefathers have been doing for ages and many a times with out interest. Any other work was taken to be a rebellion by the family members. With the new avenues opening up, they were considered to be prestigious and finally the young could choose. For many though it still remained a choice made be their family none the less many took advantage of the opportunity. For others the freedom struggle helped them use their energy for a common cause. This gave us many leaders which may not have been there save for the british and their ways.
These and many more points can be cited and analysed on how we were helped. Just that cannot think of more now. J J J J J
No comments:
Post a Comment