The Ugly Briton<http://catapult.nationalinterest.in/2007/09/26/the-ugly-briton/> Filed under: Opinion <http://catapult.nationalinterest.in/category/opinion/>, History <http://catapult.nationalinterest.in/category/history/>, India<http://catapult.nationalinterest.in/category/india/>, Liberal Extremists<http://catapult.nationalinterest.in/category/liberal-extremists/>, India and the World<http://catapult.nationalinterest.in/category/india-and-the-world/>, The Indian Subcontinent<http://catapult.nationalinterest.in/category/india-and-the-world/the-indian-subcontinent/>-- Apollo at 10:00 pm on Wednesday, September 26, 2007
If there is one trait that sets apart a Briton from the rest of the human species then it must definitely be an head still frozen in the permafrost of that last ice age <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_ice_age> that might somehow explain their chilling insensitivity to appreciate and respect the point of view and sensibilities of others. One hundred and fifty years after the Indian soldiers in their employ in the armies of the East India Company along with a large part of the Indian population revolted<http://www.gatewayforindia.com/history/british_history2.htm>against them for precisely that reason the Brits seem to have not yet learnt their lesson and now their descendants have arrived<http://www.imedinews.ge/en/news_read/66504>in India to "commemorate" the "bravery" of their ancestors by being exactly just as haughty and insensitive as their forefathers had been. That rebellion happened exactly one hundred years after the Battle of Plassey gave the British East India Company a foothold in the eastern region of India in what is now the country of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.From there over a period of several decades they steadily expanded their hold over the rest of the country on the backs of mostly Indian soldiers led by an exclusively White class of officers. Denied promotions and avenues of career growth, routinely discriminated against, humiliated daily and forced to fight against and commit atrocities against their own people by the British over a period of a hundred years finally got too much to bear for the Indian soldiers and finally they had had enough. They raised the banner of revolt<http://india_resource.tripod.com/1857.html>in the summer of 1857 when they felt that the Brits had gone too far this time and for six months fought valiantly and nearly brought an end to the British rule in India. But this revolution unlike the American one a century earlier on the other side of the world again against the same British insensitivity lacked the ideological fortitude<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence>and the vision that had powered it and slowly it wilted away, the tide turned and the British were able to again use the divergent self(ish)- interests of different Indian players and playing one off against the other managed to resert their control again. And when they finally gained the upper hand the revenge<http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,2155324,00.html>they extracted against the people of those regions which were at the forefront of the rebellion was horrific. Whole villages and cities were reduced to rivers of Blood, for nearly a year after the uprising was put down the British shot, hung, raped and pillaged the countryside with gay abandon and some of the very men whose memory these Brits have arrived to "commemorate" were neck deep involved in what can only be termed as one of the greatest crimes against humanity ever committed. But these Britons schooled as they are since their childhood in the dubious theory of the "White man's burden" simply don't get it. They are unable to or unwilling to come to terms with their gruesome past that the British Empire was like any other empire in history was an enterprise of loot, pillage and oppression. The only enterprise of the British empire was to fill the coffers of the elite of England with the wealth snatched from the rest of the world. If only the British group realised that they would be here not to "commemorate" the ghoulish acts of their forefathers but to build bridges of understanding with a people that their ancestors had once wronged. And to remind us painfully that when the Brits left India physically they left behind their sock puppets and intellectual blowtards, a slave dynasty<http://www.dawn.com/weekly/jawed/20070326.htm>of sorts in charge whose descendants are now just like back then, are groveling for the sake of their pale skinned masters. There was even an effort made by some of these Macaulay's schoolchildren to pass it off <http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070924/main6.htm> as some kind of "joint commemoration". If these worthies had actually noticed these people where only commemorating Indian soldiers who fought for the British side and they were in no way commemorating any of the mutineers who had rebelled against their ancestors. If they still think otherwise can they name any efforts made by this group to reach out to someone on the Indian side- perhaps one of the descendants of those who fought on the other side? Maybe some Indian organization to arrange joint commemorations? Did they ever make statements saying that this was a great tragedy for both sides and they are here to reach out to the other side? Did they ever admit and atleast express regret for the genocidal crime committed against innocent civilians by their ancestors in the aftermath of the defeat of the revolt? No. on the contrary one heard rhetoric<http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070027049>on the lines of that they thought that what their ancestors did was not only good for Britain but also for India! "I have enormous admiration for what he did and what all the brits who fought and lived here did. They believed that it was a good thing for Britain and even for India. Though we have retreated and gone India survives as how a democratic system should work," said Mark Havelock Allan, Descendant, Sir Henry Havelock. And another fellow saying that in his opinion it was not a war against British imperialism but a war between the mutineers on one side and the British and with the majority of the Indians on their side! "This wasn't a war between English and Indians , it was war between the English and a majority of the population of the subcontinent versus the mutineers," said Roy Trustram Eve, Former Solider, Kings Royal Rifles Corps. Another woman a descendant of another ghoul who rampaged Jhansi during that time said "So many people say that they were racist, they were not, they were class ridden. We believe that we behaved well, we were not cruel or beastly," said Delma Vernon, Descendant, Sir Hugh Rose. so much for so called "joint commemoration". This was the general attitude displayed by this group who even tried to present a Plaque "commemorating" the genocidal acts of a certain British regiment that participated in that war. An UP official correctly said<http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070924/main6.htm>that while this shameless group could go ahead and pray at the graves of their so called "great" ancestors no public commemorations or speeches would be allowed. *p.s-* The latest news is that the group has cancelled its plans and are returning home. The Incredible Beeb as usual is making a big song and dance <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7014281.stm>about a member of the group visiting his ancestor's grave "defying" all the protestors. Implying that he risked his life and limb to do so. In reality the guy just walked into the lucknow residency and no one stopped him ! As reflected in the words of the UP state official no Indian has anything against this bunch visiting and praying at their ancestors grave. only that they should be doing their "commemoration" in the UK and not here. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
