subject: The British Rule over India- An Assessment [print this page] The British Rule over India- An Assessment
The period of The Gupta Dynasty (4-6 century AD) is generally recognized by Historians as a golden period in Indian History. India flourished at that time and the arts and sciences developed to their zenith. The golden age of the Guptas is long remembered as a period where the Hindus were not only the rulers, but also the subjects and lived freely.
The advent of the Moslem, despite all protestations by the present government was a dark age. Hindu temples and holy places were regularly destroyed and replaced with mosques.Thus the holiest of the Hindu shrines the Ram temple at Ayodhya as well as the holy temple of lord Krishna at Mathura were meticulously razed and mosques built on their ruins.
The Hindus were also relegated to the status of second class citizens and had no power at all. Worse they had to pay the jizzia tax as enshrined in the Islamic law for non Muslims, to practice their own religion in their own land.
In this background the British assumed prominence from 1757 and the period called the Raj came into being. The British were the paramount power in India for 200 years and during this period India which was steeped in primitive culture and practices moved forward.
The British rule saw a uniformity being established in india.Laws was framed that were applicable to all and taxes like Jizzia were abolished. For the first time the Hindus regained their religious freedom. The British and foreign scholars also started a study of the Indian scriptures and the result was a concreted bid to save Indian heritage like the temples at Khujaraho which were in decay were restored.
The British also set up colleges and universities and a judicial system that traces its origin to British rule. In addition they set up the frame work of administration by setting up the Indian civil service and the police service. These are now the backbone of Indian democracy.
The British created an excellent road and rail network that crisscrossed the entire country and for the first time a resident from Lahore could travel to Calcutta or the Deep South without hindrance. Not content the British also abolished the evil practices like Sati and thuggery which were the bane of Indian society. For this alone the British rulers deserve our administration.
The British also created the postal services and the fighting arms .They thus bequeathed to India a first class battle hardened army. It is something that cannot be wished away. The British rule brought in knowledge and enlightenment and for the first time the concept of India as a nation took shape.
The monuments to British rule are a legion. Suffice it to say that India progressed more in 200 years of English rule than in 600 years earlier. The concept of equality and fair play is something we learnt from the English as well as the concept that an officer of the Indian army was also a gentleman.
There were no doubt some aberrations, like the incident at Jalliianwala Bagh, but when we consider everything in Toto it is not hard to appreciate that this period was almost close to the earlier Golden age of India. When history is written 200 years later ,the historians will be better able to assess this period . They will probably give due credit to the Raj as a period of development and enlightenment after the dark period of Moslem rule.
