Review: An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India

An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India by Shashi Tharoor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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An Earlier iteration of the book [book: Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India|34185892] by the same author, the much aptly named Era of Darkness, discusses in depth the consequences of 200 years of British rule in India. An account made up more of negatives and tragedies, and any good which came out of it was merely incidental, and as a result of local zeal. 

Over eight chapter Mr. Tharoor break down, in a easy to comprehend narrative, peppered with historical citations, the prevalent argument of the 2010s that, despite the atrocities committed, British Raj ultimately was a boon to the Indian Subcontinent. 

Taking into Focus different aspects of this argument, the supposed 'benefits' of the Raj, Tharoor shows how our colonizers had left no stone unturned in their rapacious crusade to subjugate India and her people, and to drain out the very life blood from the nation, in form of food exports, exorbitant taxation and outright looting of goods. At the same time, doing everything in their power to undermine and destabilize the native economy, and keep Indians in a state of servile servility. This was enacted by denying any jobs of significance to Indians in higher strata of the Government. Not even considering all the blatant racism, and double standards which prevailed at the time, and even under the so called 'rule of law'. 

Then there is the infamous 'Divide and rule' strategy which our oppressors enacted in some form almost from the get go of their reign, which the author christened as 'Divide et Impera', from the similar strategy employed by Philip of Macedonia in Hellenistic times. Also serving to thwart the argument that the Raj gave Indians political unity, from a previously fragmented princely conglomerates. When in fact they did everything in their power to do just the opposite. Their earnest efforts resulting in the political and geographical fracturing of the subcontinent into the eventual three entities India, pakistan, Bangladesh. 1 million dead in communal riots, 14 millions displaced in the world's largest mass migration event. 

Even the other 'boons' provided to the oppressed, like the extensive Railway system, was another means by which to drain local resources. The railways might as well have been carrying sands to Egypt with how useless they were in alleviation of the countless famines which occurred under British rule. 

Which is another point of contention. If the British did indeed establish the wonder of modern liberal government and parliamentary system in India, with a well functioning administrative service, then why argues Tharoor, were some of the worst famines and loss of life to ever occur in the subcontinent attributed to the Raj. Including the horrendous Bengal famine which resulted in a mortality rates upwards of 3 million. 

The world is quite rightly horrified by the atrocities which humans had to endure in Nazi concentration camps. Look eastwards, at the same time, we can show you something just as horrendous. 

The Indian government, as corrupt and bureaucratic as it may be criticized to be, did more for alleviation of poverty, public education, health and improvement in standards of life within 70 odd years, than the British in two centuries. 

Finally the author makes a hypothetical argument, taking parallels from another eastern culture of 19th- 20th century Japan as reference. In the event that the British takeover of India had not come to pass, it wouldn't have necessarily meant a fragmented India squabbling India. Under a influential leader or dynasty, as has been previously shown, Indian unification was far from a pipe dream. 

And like the Meiji Restoration of 1867, should this new unified entity taken steps towards modernization, by training locals and importing modern industries, there is nothing to deny India would too have progressed into a thriving modern nation on par with other world powers at the time.

What generations of British rule did, was to put a hard break on the natural evolution of Indian society, trapping them in some facsimile of a bygone era, making it all the more worse and regressive owing to narrow minded laws and regulations. 

Much of Independent India's time and resources were spent in correcting the gashes left due to British rule. Some, like those erupted during the partition, are still raw and pustulating, shadowing the nation's destiny for times to come. 

In light of all this, the author argues, any notion of British rule being ultimately beneficial for India would be a laughable prospect. It's sins grave and debilitating; It's good deeds, unintentional and marred in it's sheen.