The British Legacy in India

G. Somasesh

Most of our living grannies and grandpas still recall with nostalgic feelings the golden age when the British ruled our country, when commodities were available at cheap prices, when red tapism was not so rampant, and when administration ran on smooth lines under the firm supervision of the British officials. To youngsters all this may seem exaggerated with a mythical aura of its own. But if we view at the British occupation of India as a historical event without any prejudices, we may draw some conclusions which show in clear light the legacy of the British left in India even after their departure from here, which in fact served as a foundation for the subsequent building of our nation. No doubt, the British rule suppressed some of our valuable traits and spirit of originality, which if left to themselves, would have led our nation grow in another way - perhaps in a better way too. But who can question the happenings of history? In this essay, I shall make a humble attempt to make a brief survey of the British legacy bequeathed to India.

The first notable change during the British rule is the introduction of machines and technology. No doubt the British might have done this to facilitate their way of leading a comfortable life. The first road was laid out between Bombay and Poona in 1830. In 1853 the construction of railway tracks began. The means of quick transport and communication gave the British a firm control over the vast empire they occupied. It also gave boost to their trade and commerce. The first newspaper “Bengal Gazette” in English was published in Calcutta by James Hicky in 1780. The first newspaper in Hindi was Banaras Akbhar” published in 1845. The newspapers only reproduced the matter collected from British papers and journals. They were meant mostly for the English people and the few educated Indians. The newspapers brought into vogue a simple direct and clear style. The first newspaper in vernacular was “Samachar Darpan” inBengali by a missionary (Joshua Marshman) from Serampur.

Men of noble ideals like Sir Arthur cotton left their imprint of service on the Indian soil. The dam over the Krishna was started by Cotton in 1853. In agricultural field, the feudalistic Zamindari system was replaced by the Ryotwari system, thereby removing the exorbitant tax burden from the shoulders of the peasants who were exploited by middle men and landlords. To speak on the other side, some officers left the fate of farmers to Zamindars content themselves with the revenue they received from the landlords.

In the field of education, a very significant change came for better or for worse. The value of western education was recognised by Indians serving under British officers. The Government also needed trained educated Indians to do clerical jobs. The role of missionaries in educating people to understand Christianity is considerable. In spite of some opposition from traditionalists, the introduction of English succeeded with Maculay’s bold venture in 1853. The introduction of western type of education was also connected with the selfish motive of westernising the whole Indian race. Of course, a few people recognised the civilizing quality of education to reform the Indians steeped in superstitions. Lord curzon at Simla conference held in 1901, stressed the need for technical and vocational education. But most of the people were after liberal type of education aspiring to become officers. Curzon also transformed the role of universities as mere examining centres into places teaching subjects. Hindu reformers like Pandita Rama Bal (1858-1922) and Dr. Karve set up Schools for educating widows and orphans.

The major achievement is seen in bringing about social reforms which were gradually introduced by the British since they were afraid of interfering too much with Indian customs and tradition. The Sipoy Mutiny in 1857 threw cold water over their zeal and strained the relations between the British and the Indians. The abolition of Suttee, Thuggery, child marriages, infanticide, child-labour and polygamy are some of the radical reforms introduced by the British Govt. The keen interest shown by Bentick in reforms produced a strong reaction from traditionalistic aristocrats.

The rapid spread of British influence produced in response a revival and rejuvenation from the Indian side. Great saints and scholars reinterpreted and brought to light the immense greatness of the Hindu culture. Ramakrishna Paramhamsa, Swami Vivekananda, Dayanand  Saraswathi, Aurobindo and Ranade are some of such people. Some leaders like Ram Mohan Roy and Keshub Chandra Sen tried to synthasise the good qualities of both the east and the west in their teach­ings. Great European scholars like Jones, Max Mueller, Edwin Arnold, delved deep into Hindu scriptures and brought to surface the inherent worth of the Indian culture and art.

In the field of architecture and painting, the Britishers first patron­ised the Indian artists, attracted by the exotic landscape festivals and customs. The Indian artists also added a few western touches to their style to please the foreigners. Rabindranath Tagore, Ravi Varma, Jamini Roy and Amrita Shergil are some of the great artists that the British India produced. Painting on mica sheets and carving on ivory became popular during this era. The Britishers patronised landscape painting as they used to send picture post cards to their relatives. Lord Canning took keen interest in photography.

The Western type of education acquainted the Indians with liberal ideas, rational thinking and the spirit of nationalism. At first, Muslims remained aloof but later realised the benefits of the English Education. The English Education also opened to Indians the wonders of science and industrialization. The arrogant and highbrow attitude of the Britishers, the missionary zeal of Christians and the quick pace of social reforms aroused fears in some Indians that the British would completely uproot their native culture. Added to this, the activities of the extremists with terrible retaliations from the British side prepared the ground for freedom struggle. The religious revival, and the freedom movements in other countries added fuel to this. The British Government also realised the need for granting dominion status to India. The world wars and economic depression made them too busy to govern a vast empire like India. But the delayed procedures added redoubled fury and strength to freedom movement in India. The various acts giving limited freedom to Indian councilors paved the way to eventual emergence of parliamentary democracy in India. The 1935 Act formed a basis for the concept of the rule by majority. The introduction of separate electorates gave a ring of protection to minorities especially Muslims. The extremist elements aroused their religious fervour and their fears about the Hindu majority, which would rule them. During the Moghul rule there was no scope for such fears as the rulers themselves were Muslims.

Lastly a brief survey about the interaction between the literacy fields of the European and the Indian spheres. The cultural renaissance is an offshoot of the British rule. May be, it is a defensive resposnse to the so-called superior nation of the British race more than the British, the Germans showed more interest in exploring the ancient vedic lore and philosophy. In return, the Indians enriched their literature by borrowing modern literary forms like the novel, the essay, the free verse, the short story, the sonnet ad the autobiography.

The British writers belonging to the genre “The Anglo-Indian Writers” contributed their own to portray the Indian scenery and life mixed with irony, humour and ridicule. The influence of Indian literature and philosophy are noticeable on Western transcendentalists, W.B.Yeats, Goethe, Schiller and E.T.A. Hofman. The long duration of British rule also brought about the mutual borrowing of words. A number of translations of Hindu classics into European languages took place. Lord Curzon and Alexander Cunningham and others contributed their mite in preserving the ancient Indian architecture, coins and sculptures.

Thus, to sum up, the British rule in India ushered in a new era laying the foundation for the present Indian to stand as an individual entity. Of course, besides these benefits Indians had to bear the adverse effects of foreign rule for a long period.