Coffeehouse for desis
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

+2
Seva Lamberdar
FluteHolder
6 posters

Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by FluteHolder Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:03 pm

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/british-empire-did-more-harm-than-good-in-india-concludes-mock-trial-in-uk-supreme-court-595688?pfrom=home-india

LONDON:  The British Raj did more harm than good in the Indian subcontinent, concluded a historic debate that put the mighty empire on a mock trial at the Supreme Court.

The Indo-British Heritage Trust organised the debate as the inaugural event to mark the 400th anniversary of formal relations between India and Britain back in 1614. The motion before the house was, "The Indian sub-continent benefited more than it lost from the experience of British Colonialism".

The team against the motion, eloquently led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and including fellow authors William Dalrymple and Nick Robins, clinched a decisive victory.

"No wonder the sun never set on the British Empire, even God couldn't trust the English in the dark," said Mr Tharoor as part of his arguments which focused on the economic ruin of India at the hands of the East India Company.

"The might of Britain was built in the 18th and 19th centuries on the ruination of India where India went from a 23 per cent share of the global economy to 4 per cent," he added.

Mr Dalrymple, author of 'White Mughals' and 'The Last Mughal', echoed the sentiment from the perspective of a prospering Mughal Empire which 'haemorrhaged' under the British.

"It is impossible even to consider this motion seriously without noting how far behind the West was for 90 per cent of our history, the British went to India to get a bit of action in the Mughal Empire which was then immeasurably richer than anything London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Milan put together. Britain, with its mastery of cannon and artillery, drained India and the money came to Europe," he said.

The debate, which coincided with the Scottish referendum vote on Thursday, was chaired by senior Indian-origin MP and chair of the House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz, who deftly managed proceedings for and against.

Speakers for the motion included arts editor of 'Newsweek' Pakistan, Nelofar Bakhtyar, former British politician and BBC war correspondent Martin Bell, and Kwasi Kwarteng, Conservative Party MP and author.

Their side failed to win over the audience with their arguments in favour of the English language, rule of law, railways and cricket as positive legacy of the Empire.

"The fact that we seized upon the English language for our own liberation is to our credit and not by British design," countered Mr Tharoor, who ended on a lighter note saying, "Cricket was an Indian game accidentally discovered by the British".

FluteHolder

Posts : 2355
Join date : 2011-06-03

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Seva Lamberdar Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:09 pm

Big B.S. ("British empire did more harm than good in India.") 

Overall, India was a huge winner in the end under the British rule / influence.
Seva Lamberdar
Seva Lamberdar

Posts : 6569
Join date : 2012-11-29

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bYp0igbxHcmg1G1J-qw0VUBSn7Fu

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:09 pm


While it is true that England gained more than India from the British rule, the bi unknown is what might have and could have happened if England had not appeared.
Moguls were ruling and the Portuguese were already here.

An interesting debate will be "What might have happened if England had not landed in India?"

Marathadi-Saamiyaar

Posts : 17675
Join date : 2011-04-30
Age : 110

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Kris Sun Sep 21, 2014 1:32 pm

FluteHolder wrote:http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/british-empire-did-more-harm-than-good-in-india-concludes-mock-trial-in-uk-supreme-court-595688?pfrom=home-india

LONDON:  The British Raj did more harm than good in the Indian subcontinent, concluded a historic debate that put the mighty empire on a mock trial at the Supreme Court.

The Indo-British Heritage Trust organised the debate as the inaugural event to mark the 400th anniversary of formal relations between India and Britain back in 1614. The motion before the house was, "The Indian sub-continent benefited more than it lost from the experience of British Colonialism".

The team against the motion, eloquently led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and including fellow authors William Dalrymple and Nick Robins, clinched a decisive victory.

"No wonder the sun never set on the British Empire, even God couldn't trust the English in the dark," said Mr Tharoor as part of his arguments which focused on the economic ruin of India at the hands of the East India Company.

"The might of Britain was built in the 18th and 19th centuries on the ruination of India where India went from a 23 per cent share of the global economy to 4 per cent," he added.

Mr Dalrymple, author of 'White Mughals' and 'The Last Mughal', echoed the sentiment from the perspective of a prospering Mughal Empire which 'haemorrhaged' under the British.

"It is impossible even to consider this motion seriously without noting how far behind the West was for 90 per cent of our history, the British went to India to get a bit of action in the Mughal Empire which was then immeasurably richer than anything London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Milan put together. Britain, with its mastery of cannon and artillery, drained India and the money came to Europe," he said.

The debate, which coincided with the Scottish referendum vote on Thursday, was chaired by senior Indian-origin MP and chair of the House of Commons' Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz, who deftly managed proceedings for and against.

Speakers for the motion included arts editor of 'Newsweek' Pakistan, Nelofar Bakhtyar, former British politician and BBC war correspondent Martin Bell, and Kwasi Kwarteng, Conservative Party MP and author.

Their side failed to win over the audience with their arguments in favour of the English language, rule of law, railways and cricket as positive legacy of the Empire.

"The fact that we seized upon the English language for our own liberation is to our credit and not by British design," countered Mr Tharoor, who ended on a lighter note saying, "Cricket was an Indian game accidentally discovered by the British".

>>>The Brits were not altruists and were not into "nation building" in far away places (unlike someone we know, who keeps throwing good money after bad in this ongoing endeavor). They were there to plunder and their notion that anything east of the channel was a form of low-life ('The wogs start at Calais!') let them rationalize the looting.  Tharoor is right about the credit going to Indians on seizing the language. I would extend that to Indians doing the same with the infrastructure and the governance model they left behind, both of which were put in place with the sole purpose of furthering the empire's cause. Maybe cricket was the one curse in this whole enterprise.

Kris

Posts : 5460
Join date : 2011-04-28

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Seva Lamberdar Sun Sep 21, 2014 3:29 pm

"Tharoor is right about the credit going to Indians on seizing the language." ... Kris

>>> He has no clue about the pre-British-in-India history and the miserable political and economic conditions the Indian masses lived in before the arrival of the British in India.
Seva Lamberdar
Seva Lamberdar

Posts : 6569
Join date : 2012-11-29

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bYp0igbxHcmg1G1J-qw0VUBSn7Fu

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Sep 21, 2014 3:45 pm

Seva Lamberdar wrote:"Tharoor is right about the credit going to Indians on seizing the language." ... Kris

>>> He has no clue about the pre-British-in-India history and the miserable political and economic conditions the Indian masses lived in before the arrival of the British in India.

Things started going downhill with Ghori and Ghaznavi who began the plundering plans in 12th century. Until then the "looters" kept the loot within the borders of what is today's Akhand Bharat.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar

Posts : 17675
Join date : 2011-04-30
Age : 110

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Kayalvizhi Mon Sep 22, 2014 7:15 pm

 British Hindi Raj did more only harm than good in the Indian subcontinent,

Kayalvizhi

Posts : 3659
Join date : 2011-05-16

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by seven Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:30 am

Kayalvizhi wrote: British Hindi Raj did more only harm than good in the Indian subcontinent,

Oh yea?
You see the subject line?
Did the uk Supreme Court say that about Hindi raj?

Post another thread with your Tamil tribune court findings. You're so sad n whiny.

seven

Posts : 1559
Join date : 2013-04-13

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:40 am

seven wrote:
Kayalvizhi wrote: British Hindi Raj did more only harm than good in the Indian subcontinent,

Oh yea?
You see the subject line?
Did the uk Supreme Court say that about Hindi raj?

Post another thread with your Tamil tribune court findings. You're so sad n whiny.

Please dont talk like that to our resident Tamil fanatic.

He is going to the Madison Square to wave blag flag against that quintessential Hindian - Modi.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar

Posts : 17675
Join date : 2011-04-30
Age : 110

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by seven Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:51 am

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
seven wrote:
Kayalvizhi wrote: British Hindi Raj did more only harm than good in the Indian subcontinent,

Oh yea?
You see the subject line?
Did the uk Supreme Court say that about Hindi raj?

Post another thread with your Tamil tribune court findings. You're so sad n whiny.

Please dont talk like that to our resident Tamil fanatic.

He is going to the Madison Square to wave blag flag against that quintessential Hindian - Modi.

Alright. Only because you ask me. The entire statement with the exception of 'you are so sad n whiny' will be stricken from the record.

seven

Posts : 1559
Join date : 2013-04-13

Back to top Go down

 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court Empty Re: 'British Empire Did More Harm Than Good in India', Concludes Mock Trial in UK Supreme Court

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum