Happy Independence Day...

sigma · 17 Aug 2017 at 17:32

Schlong&Stable said:
There was no war, famine or murder before the British arrived? Oh right, just tossing widows onto funeral pyres.

Yes, the Indians were very fond of slavery. Those Mughals loved it. Luckily Britain outlawed it.

Well those soldiers were paid to fight, so what is your complaint? Also, did you forget all about Imperial Japan?

People in both India and Pakistan are still servants of foreign masters.

Should have fought better to keep your independence I suppose.

well played m8

Schlong&Stable · 17 Aug 2017 at 20:12

sigma said:
well played m8

I'm always here to rain on someones parade, don't you worry!

Blackjack Davy · 20 Aug 2017 at 01:21

RoboCod said:
Crazy that people can be so logical isn't it? Too often people (whites in particular) are chastised for the actions of their ancestors and that is completely illogical. "Sorry but I'm not personally responsible for enslaving black people, so no I don't feel at all guilty about those heinous acts."

Its only imperialism when we go over there. When they come here its multi-culturalism.

LabR@t · 20 Aug 2017 at 08:01

Raz said:
To my fellow Indians and Pakistanis, and of course the Bangladeshis. Ignoring the countless deaths, slavery, involment in two world wars which only really concerned one part of the world, being servants to foreign masters, having a less than ideal say in manufacturing and exporting ventures the British did leave us with a few things worth remembering:

The English language

Vaccinations

Stopping practises such as sati

The railway network (presumably it made it easier to transport slaves around such a vast area).

The Indian Army (who went to war with another part of India which became independent from them, Pakistan, which also went to war with another area that gained independence from Pakistan, Bangladesh).

Also created India and Pakistan as single nations. Before the English East India Company accidentally created an Empire the Subcontinent was a hotch potch of independent states (thanks PC).

The correct way to make tea.

This is slightly tongue in cheek, no offence intended.

I'll leave you with this

RoboCod said:
So are you British, Indian or Pakistani born?

He doesn't know!

LabR@t · 20 Aug 2017 at 08:05

RoboCod said:
Crazy that people can be so logical isn't it? Too often people (whites in particular) are chastised for the actions of their ancestors and that is completely illogical. "Sorry but I'm not personally responsible for enslaving black people, so no I don't feel at all guilty about those heinous acts."

Shame on you, you need to burn for what you did 100's of years before you were born.

Participant · 20 Aug 2017 at 08:19

Raz said:
involment in two world wars which only really concerned one part of the world

Well I never knew that. Thanks for the history lesson.

LabR@t · 20 Aug 2017 at 08:34

Raz said:
, involment in two world wars which only really concerned one part of the world,

I think the clue is world war, you could not have not fought and be living under the Japanese and history tells us they didn't treat non Japanese very well.

Raz · 20 Aug 2017 at 09:18

Participant said:
Well I never knew that. Thanks for the history lesson.

LabR@t said:
I think the clue is world war, you could not have not fought and be living under the Japanese and history tells us they didn't treat non Japanese very well.

Tongue in cheek. Not a serious thread but happy to make it one...but it happened and is the past, time to move on. In any case, the Indians were paid to fight so it's all good.

Participant · 20 Aug 2017 at 13:56

Raz said:
Tongue in cheek. Not a serious thread but happy to make it one...but it happened and is the past, time to move on. In any case, the Indians were paid to fight so it's all good.

Something tells me 'involvement in two world wars which only really concerned one part of the world' was a serious point - it doesn't even have any clever or satirical undertones - though I guess it's easier to just claim you were kidding.

Raz · 20 Aug 2017 at 15:01

Participant said:
Something tells me 'involvement in two world wars which only really concerned one part of the world' was a serious point - it doesn't even have any clever or satirical undertones - though I guess it's easier to just claim you were kidding.

Well it's a light hearted thread. Yes, there is a seriousness about involving non-European nations in what began essentially as a war in Europe. But I'm also aware that many Indians volunteered to fight in the war. I'm also aware that while some Indian groups didn't see any need to fight against Germany, others were proud to do so. If there had however been no British India, who knows how keen the Indians would have been to fight the Axis powers.

I'm also aware that slavery existed before the British came and still exists in a way when you look at conditions of people from 'lower' castes.

I'm also aware that there are British people, English mainly, that have the view that the British empire did no wrong and simply brought other nations into a civilised state.

The thread wasn't meant to be totally serious, as shown by the first few replies. Crucially, the clip from Goodness Gracious Me was meant to show that it wasn't all too serious.

lunar · 20 Aug 2017 at 16:12

I was watching the BBC1 programme 'Indian Partition' last Wednesday. It was distressing to hear about the massacres that occurred on both sides Hindu and Muslim.
There were eyewitness accounts from numerous asians.
Then it occurred to me that there would be indians still alive who were involved in murdering and raping. They will never speak; they will never reveal their crime; they will never be accountable.

Dis86 · 20 Aug 2017 at 16:23

lunar said:
Then it occurred to me that there would be indians still alive who were involved in murdering and raping. They will never speak; they will never reveal their crime; they will never be accountable.

Some do. Some are quite open and wear it as a badge of pride. You're right though - they'll never see justice.