Inglorious Empire

There's an African proverb that goes: "Until lions tell their own stories, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter."

It took a while, but India finally has her lion in Dr. Tharoor. With fangs of unassailable logic and claws of incontrovertible proof, he eviscerates the British claim that colonialism was a good thing for India.

Tharoor's masterstroke is relying primary on the written testimonies of Britain's own citizens—whether that of officers callously describing their own atrocities, or that of the few conscience-stricken Britishers horrified at incredible tyranny and racism they were witnessing. The accounts of Indian and American observers are there too, whenever needed.

Everything good that modern British revisionists claim that India owes to the Raj—railways, banking, press and even democracy—is shown to be introduced exclusively to serve British interests. Indians were denied even the smallest modicum of gain through these ostensibly progressive measures (the only arguable exception being the press, though that too wasn't as rosy as revisionists would have you believe). On the contrary, these measures were used as tools to compound their exploitation.

Not to mention the bad stuff India owes to the Raj—plunder of resources, systematic dismantling of Indian industries, cultural destruction and the introduction of communal divide, to mention a few.

Many western reviewers have hailed Tharoor's exposure of the colonial project's "long and shameless record of rapacity" as being a much-needed reality-check in a time where more than half of Britain (according to a 2014 poll) is living under the delusion that the British Empire was a good thing and are yearning for it: a phenomenon termed "post-colonial melancholia". Various publications highlighted the need to teach "unromanticized colonial history" in British schools.

What baffles me is the response of some Indian reviewers, who have somehow found the failings of the modern Indian government worthy of being compared to the avaricious exploits of the Raj. For instance, yes, India still has famines. But unlike the colonial government, Indian government is not creating famines by actively taking away food produced by farmers and selling it abroad. Neither have they outlawed philanthropic attempts to donate funds to the needy, again unlike the colonial government. Anybody who, after reading the book, still believes the two are comparable, is either being willingly dense or trying to push a political agenda. It's bad enough that the history taught in Indian schools severely undermines the magnitude of racism, hate, intolerance and cruelty meted out to the average Indian during the Raj. We don't need historians who set the record straight being attacked by petty Anglophiles or pseudo-intellectual contrarians.

One last thing. The reason I took away one star from the overall rating is not that anything is wrong with this audiobook. After all, Tharoor's boundless vocabulary and perfect diction could give the Queen of England a run for her money. It's because I believe this book should be re-read and memorized by every nationalist worth his salt; and while the audiobook is a worthy companion piece for this purpose, the hardback would be the better way to consume it.

Speaking of consumption, Bacon once wrote that "some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." Well, you need to masticate the chapters of this book and chymify them until these facts are assimilated in the very blood of your veins. Jai Hind.

was glued yto the book. very elusid and informative. nicely narrated also by Mr Tharoor himself.

A fantastic book, well argued. Building on Tharoor's famous Oxford Union debate, it comes not a moment too soon

Though it's applaudable to call out the hypocrisy of the empire apologists from Rudyard Kipling to Niall Ferguson, Tharoor wilfully ignores the role played by the like Jesuits and Montfort's role which keeps India divided to this day to a considerable extent.

Also, one is but forced to draw parallels between the British and the Mohammedan colonialists whenever the author tries to adore the latter.

Liked the narrative style. The book itself could've been structured better. Got to know a lot about the British rule in India

Articulate, detailed and entertaining. Only flaw is that he seems to indulge in a bit of "selective" statistics to help the cause of the book. The politician in Shashi sometimes trumps the historian. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful read and brings up so many undeniable facts that would surprise you even today.

Overall the book was amazing and covered and brought forward key aspects of the imperialism and it's impact on nations as India.
beautifully crafted and narrated

must read /listen for all Indians. Helps understand the society of today. Well articulated and logical explanation of his stance. Crisp oration you will enjoy

changed my view from a Raj apologist to someone far more balanced in pros and cons of colonization.

Dr Tharoor is a good writer and a wonderful narrator. his command of the English language is clearly seen in his works.