For decades I have been advocating that the truth about the British Empire and its impact on the Indian sub-continent must be told. When I was at school I remember clearly, the History teacher would paint a picture of the benevolent nature of the Empire and how the white man civilised the Indian. It upset me greatly, and even at the age of 11 years I challenged him and got into several uncomfortable exchanges. In those days, a brown kid was meant to take a beating from the white extremists, and to accept anything the teacher tells you as the ‘gospel’ truth. Well, this brown kid never accepted the fake narrative because I had a father who taught me the right history of India and of the British Raj.
Decades have passed and life in the UK has got better, relatively speaking of course. This does not mean racism and its impact has gone, but that we as a nation are moving in the right direction. Dare I say, we are doing much better than most European countries when it comes to equalities.
I am therefore increasingly of the view that the time has arrived when it is possible for our nation, and for the British people, to set up a ‘Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission’, to establish the truth from the perspective of the victim. It’s time to look at the 200+ years history of the British in India and to record the historical testimony of the victims as well as everything that went into controlling a people and a nation.
I am reminded of the book ‘Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India (2017)’ written by Dr Shashi Tharoor where he in his unique style destroys the myth of the British as saviours of Indians.
As India marches on and becomes ever more powerful by the day, the United Kingdom should not wait for this truth to be forced out of them. Empires and dictatorships in history have relied upon brutality, mass murder, rape, cultural genocide, and mass enslavement to further their own greed for power, resources, and self-adulation. Is this to be the legacy for the British?
If the British want to be seen as relevant in the 21st Century and beyond, then it will need to reconcile with its history, and the victims of that history. I would urge our Prime Minister, and Her Majesty, to set up a Royal Commission that is empowered to engage in a ‘Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation’ investigation into the impact of the British Empire on the Indian sub-continent.
I know many will say, but what about the other nations? It is right to raise that issue as well, however, we have to start somewhere, and it seems to me that the very substance of the ‘British Raj’ lends itself to this first Royal Commission.
For politicians and royalty, there aren’t many opportunities to make century defining history. PM Johnson has this in his gift, as does Her Majesty. If they fail to grasp the seriousness of this issue, one thing is for sure – Karma does not forgive or forget.
Let history record that the British did much that they should be ashamed of, but also that as a nation, it developed into a society that became strong enough to introspect and make amends for its brutal past.
In the words of PM Winston Churchill, ‘Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen’. Do the British have the courage to face the truth? Or will a nation’s cowardice shame the generations to come?
