Colonialism in India

In the long history of European colonialism, some did good by their colonies while others
didn’t. Whether it was justified or not is a whole other debate. In the case of India, however,
many people argue that the British did them good, whereas others including many Indians argue
that it was unnecessary. I think something we can all agree on is that what the British did in
India, while at times horrifically violent, has to be the most profound colonization in imperialistic
history.

India was filled with rich religious and cultural diversity, which was later used very
shrewdly by the British. Food, clothing, songs, customs, languages, all differ throughout its
many regions. Before the arrival of the British, many Indians lived in villages and their economy
was mostly based on agriculture. The official language of India is Hindi, although 22 other
languages are recognized by the Constitution, while there are tons which aren't. The core of
India’s society was based on the mere existence of family and community, which led to
strengthened patriarchal values. The methods of transportation before British rule are hugely
debatable, although many can agree that it wasn't something advanced, reliant or something to
be proud of either. Let us not forget, India was also a monarchy like many other nations at that
time.

Now comes Great Britain, who set its sights towards South Asia after the loss of
American colonies and “lo and behold” was India in all its glory. A lot of historians agree that
India owes its democracy to Britain. It outdid itself when it came to India’s transportation,
primarily railways, and communication methods. Another benefit was that India's population and
production of goods increased. The population increased because of the better usage of
hygiene, the increased amount of vaccinations and medicines available, and a larger food
supply. Britain encouraged traveling herders to settle down and become farmers, teaching them
about crop rotation so their lands would be fertile. The caste system was removed from India by
Britain allowing the people to be more equal. Britain connected India to the modern world
through science, technology, medicine, and modern ideas.

Despite of all these extraordinary achievements, we cannot ignore the fact that Britain
was still an imperial power and it did none of the things mentioned above out of goodwill. They
were all done for selfish motives, so that their comforts are not compromised. Britain forced
farmers to grow cash crops for their economy and the growing population wasn’t able to afford
the amount of food leading to famine. Britain controlled the government and didn't allow the
native people to have a say or be a part of politics or run for positions of power. And we cannot
forget the thing the British were famous for, their racist attitudes, bigotry and how they
mistreated Indians, which is putting it very lightly. British domination relied heavily on racism,
brutality and torture. British colonialists routinely racially abused and beat their Indian servants.
And methods of torture that were used to enforce taxation included searing with hot irons,
rubbing chillies into the eyes and suspension from tree branches.

It is appalling to me how British rule was and still is shamefully projected as ‘benevolent’
and ‘efficient’, since it was the genesis of mass poverty and famine throughout India during
those times. Under British rule, India suffered more famines in mere decades than during the
preceding 1,000 years. I will end this piece with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, who is also
called “the Father of India.” I believe it perfectly summarizes my stance on this whole thing and
that I don't necessarily believe that what the British did was detrimental or necessary for them. “
Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving
a whole nation of arms as the blackest.”