British Colonial India

Institutional Legacies of British Colonial Rule in 21st century India

Richin S Kottaram

II MA Economics

1537012

The British came to India as traders and their main aim was to earn profits by carrying out business in the country. The rise of British Empire in the late 18th and 19th century created new challenges to the people who had attempted recently to struggle with their new identity as “British nation”. British colonialism in India has evoked a sense of “British patriotism” through distinct forms. The Indians believed that England should assist in empowering the “marginalized sections” towards more refinement just as early Romans were believed to bring civility to England. Britishers attempted to convert India’s political culture from

English-based education system helps to tie the ropes of power and culture and together to create harmony in a diversified society. British education served to teach an interpretation of the past in terms of their own interest. Because of the widespread educational system new notions of reason, justice and utilitarian concerns of welfare began to enlighten the minds of educated citizens of India. One of the important off shoot of the western education in India was the emergence of a middle class professional group to serve the interest of the empire. The education system in India led to an emergence of the sense of rationalism and new critical outlook in Indians which ultimately led to nationalism. It does not mean that western move was primarily led to nationalism, but it acted as a catalyst in fostering the awareness of the colonial economic exploitation in India. The chief promoters of western education in India were the Christian missionaries, the liberals, the utilitarians and the Anglicists. The English educational system by the Britishers had led to an enlightenment of many. In establishing the rule of law and western style of education hoped to impart its political legacy of ensuring liberty of the individual. Better education facilities had led to the improvement of the standard of living of the people. Although it can also be argued that these changes to India were effected for the British interests of efficient administration and governance, the impact of these reforms were nonetheless important towards ensuring the liberty of the individual. British educational endeavors seemed to create an ideological hegemony through its creation of educated Indian elite who had appeared to the ideas of British control by performing the local administrative functions of the nation. On the other side British reforms on educational sector is always a