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Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India

Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India

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  • Create Date：2022-11-06 07:53:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Shashi Tharoor
  • ISBN：0141987146
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Summary

In the eighteenth century， India's share of the world economy was as large as Europe's。 By 1947， after two centuries of British rule， it had decreased six-fold。 The Empire blew rebels from cannon， massacred unarmed protesters， entrenched institutionalised racism， and caused millions to die from starvation。

British imperialism justified itself as enlightened despotism for the benefit of the governed， but Shashi Tharoor takes demolishes this position， demonstrating how every supposed imperial 'gift' - from the railways to the rule of law - was designed in Britain's interests alone。 He goes on to show how Britain's Industrial Revolution was founded on India's deindustrialisation， and the destruction of its textile industry。

In this bold and incisive reassessment of colonialism， Tharoor exposes to devastating effect the inglorious reality of Britain's stained Indian legacy。

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Reviews

Nikhil Verma ，

Coming from Tharoor， one would have certainly high hopes and thankfully he delivers。 I see there is some confusion in community around book title as it has been published under two names， not sure why。The books is quite diverse and picks up multiple aspects chapter wise and throws data to validate any assumption or though that is being conveyed。 In some instances counter data has been shared as well and someone reading with an open mind will definitely appreciate the same。A lot o myth， wrong ass Coming from Tharoor， one would have certainly high hopes and thankfully he delivers。 I see there is some confusion in community around book title as it has been published under two names， not sure why。The books is quite diverse and picks up multiple aspects chapter wise and throws data to validate any assumption or though that is being conveyed。 In some instances counter data has been shared as well and someone reading with an open mind will definitely appreciate the same。A lot o myth， wrong assumptions and extent of damage caused would be exposed。 Similarly one would feel sad to realise lot of facts which if reflected upon were in out favour and we could have easily overthrown them and this is were the non-solidarity between states have proven to be reason of failure。A must read for anyone who wants to reflect upon British Raj and pre-independence era India。 。。。more

Sharang Limaye ，

This one's for all those who have forgotten what an abomination the British rule in India was。 As the years have gone by， many Indians have come to look at their erstwhile rulers as despotic benefactors who contributed towards making the nation what it is today。 It is， in fact， true but in a perverse way。 As Tharoor so succinctly explains， almost everything that's wrong with India could be attributed to those monstrous 200 years that the country spent under the British boot。 While stripping the This one's for all those who have forgotten what an abomination the British rule in India was。 As the years have gone by， many Indians have come to look at their erstwhile rulers as despotic benefactors who contributed towards making the nation what it is today。 It is， in fact， true but in a perverse way。 As Tharoor so succinctly explains， almost everything that's wrong with India could be attributed to those monstrous 200 years that the country spent under the British boot。 While stripping the Brits of their self-congratulatory smugness， the author delivers a stinging rebuke to all those who claim that Indians were better off under their European masters。 There's very little here that we don't learn of from our school textbooks。 However， it's precisely what the textbooks lack that this book provides - perspective。 。。。more

Rewa Upadhyay ，

You won't find a better history book than this one！ You won't find a better history book than this one！ 。。。more

Akhilesh ，

"bUt tHeY bUiLt tHe rAiLwAyS。。。"This book should be required reading for people in Britain， India， and all the empire apologists/monarchists so that we don't forget the outrageous levels of abuse and looting meted out on the people of India during the rule of the empire in India。It describes （with cold hard metrics） the destruction of well-established industries like shipping/shipbuilding， textiles， agriculture， and metallurgy that were thriving in the various princely states that made up India "bUt tHeY bUiLt tHe rAiLwAyS。。。"This book should be required reading for people in Britain， India， and all the empire apologists/monarchists so that we don't forget the outrageous levels of abuse and looting meted out on the people of India during the rule of the empire in India。It describes （with cold hard metrics） the destruction of well-established industries like shipping/shipbuilding， textiles， agriculture， and metallurgy that were thriving in the various princely states that made up India before the British arrived by the East India Company and the Empire once they arrived and took over these states either through forceful acquisition or through deals with the rulers。There also are the famines that ravaged various Indian states which could easily have been solved by diverting grain exports to Britain back to the people but for the greed of the various British officials。 There are also innumerable demonic laws and killings （ex: Jallianwallah Bagh） for which they have never assumed responsibility。 All of the supposed benefits of the empire such as the railways， the English language， Industry， and "democracy" that Britain is supposed to have given the country were initially set up to benefit the British themselves and they left them in the country when they were forced to exit the country after performing one last edition of the "divide and rule" strategy to divide Hindus and Muslims which led to the partition of the country。 It's very obvious but this book shows how India has now grown mostly because of the strong culture of its past and despite the British rule and not because of it。 。。。more

Timo ，

The low rating is for the style of writing that I very much disliked。 The case against colonialism being beneficial to India was I thought convincingly argued so I suppose the book serves the author’s purpose。 I wish it had been written by a historian and not an author who sadly comes across as a self loving， nationalist politician。

Derek Henderson ，

A salutary reminder of the depredations of colonialism。 Unfortunately， Tharoor is a plodding and tiresome writer。 Shame。

Pavel Rahman ，

rest in piss lizzy

Anurag ，

I believe this is a must read book for Indians esp。 of the newer generations。 With passing time the horrors of colonialism become blurred and sometimes are even perceived opposite to what they actually were。 While we have grown listening how bad the British rule was， its not uncommon for us to hear some arguments involving a “pros and cons” analysis。 Well， this book opens your eyes to the greatest con of history！！！

Shreya ，

I heard the audio book as I was reading "Indian Summer by Alex von Tunzelmann" and the combination was simply amazing。 While Indian Summer does a character analysis of the people who shaped India， Shashi Tharoor makes an argument with lot of facts & statistics on how British exploited IndiaI do not look to history to absolve my country of the need to do things right today。 Rather I seek to understand the wrongs of yesterday， both to grasp what has brought us to our present reality and to underst I heard the audio book as I was reading "Indian Summer by Alex von Tunzelmann" and the combination was simply amazing。 While Indian Summer does a character analysis of the people who shaped India， Shashi Tharoor makes an argument with lot of facts & statistics on how British exploited IndiaI do not look to history to absolve my country of the need to do things right today。 Rather I seek to understand the wrongs of yesterday， both to grasp what has brought us to our present reality and to understand the past for itself。 The past is not necessarily a guide to the future， but it does partly help explain the present。 One cannot， as I have written elsewhere， take revenge upon history; history is its own revenge。Past does help explain the present。The best part about audio book is that it is narrated by Shashi Tharoor himself。 。。。more

Arun Pandiyan ，

In the recent Oxford debate， Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan in his passionate argument for “The Raj does not live on” wittingly noted， “It feels like my friend Shashi Tharoor still lives in this house”。 This book is an extension of that famous debate （which was watched and re-watched million times on YouTube） in which Shashi Tharoor passionately argued why Britain owes reparations to India。 To begin with， Shashi Tharoor had done a remarkable job in highlighting the colonial pe In the recent Oxford debate， Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan in his passionate argument for “The Raj does not live on” wittingly noted， “It feels like my friend Shashi Tharoor still lives in this house”。 This book is an extension of that famous debate （which was watched and re-watched million times on YouTube） in which Shashi Tharoor passionately argued why Britain owes reparations to India。 To begin with， Shashi Tharoor had done a remarkable job in highlighting the colonial period with impeccable chronology。 That deserves applause considering how effortlessly he managed to curate key events under colonialism with utmost precision and concise， explaining how even certain developments （like the railways which the apologists would give credit to the British） are nothing but pure commercial exploitation of resources for their benefits。 Further， Tharoor argues that even liberal democratic values that the British boast of introducing to India were instruments of subversion and division of the subjects。 In the chapter titled， “divide et impera”， Shashi Tharoor painstakingly tries to paint the British as culprits for imposing a singular communal identity onto the Indians through the process of the decennial census。 Tharoor tried his best to make the reader believe that it was only the British who solidified the caste identities under the impulse of ‘divide and rule’。 At one point， it only seemed like his nationalistic perspective was overshadowing many other subaltern perspectives which he deliberately ignored。 At almost every turn， he constantly rhapsodizes on what a paradise India had been before the British and how it would have been even more of paradise had they not set foot on the sub-continent。 On three issues， Shashi Tharoor takes a benevolent approach: the establishment of English as a lingua franca， and the introduction of cricket and tea to India by the British。 Nonetheless， this book is one of the important contributions toward understanding our colonial history。 The fact that he managed to bundle up two centuries of colonial rule in mere 350 pages deserves appreciation。 。。。more

Cosmic Arcata ，

I would have rated this higher on the point that it made me really take notes and respond to the book。 I agreed with some and I disagreed with other points。One of the points that I highly disagree is that the British did something to India。 The Queen and The East India Company did something to India and to their British subjects。 I see only a certain class in Britain having benefited。 He over uses the word British。。。and under uses the word East India Company。 Someone that might not have read any I would have rated this higher on the point that it made me really take notes and respond to the book。 I agreed with some and I disagreed with other points。One of the points that I highly disagree is that the British did something to India。 The Queen and The East India Company did something to India and to their British subjects。 I see only a certain class in Britain having benefited。 He over uses the word British。。。and under uses the word East India Company。 Someone that might not have read any Charles Dickens might walk away and think that those 'British' are rather insensitive。 One of the stories that he told was an Indian coming over from India to study in Britain saw white people doing only what Indian's would have done in his country and it shocked him。 There is an excellent example of why I feel he was trying to re write history and make this more of a white and black concern rather than a Trading Company exploiting a country's resources and labor。I also didn't agree with his views on Gandhi。 Just google 'Was Gandhi a British Agent' and read Quora。https://www。goodreads。com/topic/show/。。。So yes this is propaganda。 He wants British people to feel sorry for what a Trading Company did to them and India。 Not everyone benefited from what the Queen and her Company did to India。 One of the best things about this book and why I would encourage you to read it， is that it shows you a blueprint for how a 'trading company/banksters' come in and gut the country， turn everyone against each other and then figure out how to kill a large population， either by famine or war or vaccines （influenza。。。Spanish Flu caused by the vaccine they were giving） 。。。more

Hassan F。 ，

An eye opener。

Naveena Vijayaragavan ，

Having totally enjoyed Shashi Tharoor's Oxford debate on Britain's reparations to her former colonies， I became greatly enthusiastic about this book which is more of an extension of Shashi's original speech。 Not an apologist for the empire but have always wondered if any good at all came out of the 200 years of the British empire in India and having read the book， I am quite pleased to have come upon the answers I was seeking。 This book about the Brutish Raj in India is a must-read for anyone wh Having totally enjoyed Shashi Tharoor's Oxford debate on Britain's reparations to her former colonies， I became greatly enthusiastic about this book which is more of an extension of Shashi's original speech。 Not an apologist for the empire but have always wondered if any good at all came out of the 200 years of the British empire in India and having read the book， I am quite pleased to have come upon the answers I was seeking。 This book about the Brutish Raj in India is a must-read for anyone who still yearns for the glorious or rather the inglorious past of the mighty Raj。 This is also a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the everlasting impact of colonialism in it's brutal entirety。 I too have been blind-sided by some of the positive outcomes of the Colonial rule like unity as a country， democracy， railways， etc。， only to realize they were never envisaged for the subjects。Never had any special regards for Churchill as such but I am left to wonder how a hugely unsympathetic person with extreme racist views was also a hugely admired leader！ Perhaps one man's villain is another man's war-time hero。The brazen looting， exploitation， land-grabbing， massacres， indifference to famines or sufferings， indentured labour and slavery - the actual tale of Colonialism shadows the fairytale version of 'white man's burden' and the reality is anything but 'enlightenment' which was supposedly the original mission of Imperialism。 Nope - nothing can sugarcoat Colonialism。 。。。more

Prithviraj ，

Like many others， I read this book after watching Shashi Tharoor's iconic Oxford speech， 'Britain Does Owe Reparations。'And invigorating as that speech was， this book was more so。 It's a hard read for anyone who cares about the atrocities committed by the East India Company and the British crown in their modern crusades， in their search for money to be made， nations to be destroyed， people to be enslaved。And of course， though the notion does not need the input， the validation， of a random twenty Like many others， I read this book after watching Shashi Tharoor's iconic Oxford speech， 'Britain Does Owe Reparations。'And invigorating as that speech was， this book was more so。 It's a hard read for anyone who cares about the atrocities committed by the East India Company and the British crown in their modern crusades， in their search for money to be made， nations to be destroyed， people to be enslaved。And of course， though the notion does not need the input， the validation， of a random twenty-one-year-old kid， I wanna say that Shashi Tharoor has a brilliant mind。 There's a lot to be learned from him， beyond the facts and figures of British cruelty。It is important to note that he does not intend to incite rage against the British， but only to engender an understanding of the history of a land colonized by them。 Because， let's be honest， Colonial India is something most Indian kids know of， like many other important things （thanks to our education system）， only at a surface level。 We know it was bad， we know shit went down。 But how bad was it？Spoiler: Very。I was horrified and disturbed， but I also understood。 I think the last one is the key thing to take away from this book。 We must understand the atrocities of the past， to be prepared when parasites like greed and the hunger for power， in different forms， with different hosts， raise their ugly heads from the dark pits again。Because of course， they do not rest for long， and never in their entirety。 。。。more

Andrew Daniels ，

I was looking for a history of 17-19th century India with a bit of an anti-colonial tone， and I thought this would hit the mark。 Unfortunately， I found the author's work shoddy， poorly researched with a number of erroneous facts in it at various points。 Its strong on anti-colonial passions， but it doesn't really give an accurate picture。 I've read far more balanced books， with stronger research， so this one fell far short in comparison。Everything is framed as an unusual and dastardly conspiracy I was looking for a history of 17-19th century India with a bit of an anti-colonial tone， and I thought this would hit the mark。 Unfortunately， I found the author's work shoddy， poorly researched with a number of erroneous facts in it at various points。 Its strong on anti-colonial passions， but it doesn't really give an accurate picture。 I've read far more balanced books， with stronger research， so this one fell far short in comparison。Everything is framed as an unusual and dastardly conspiracy against India， so for example， press censorship is portrayed as something only the British did to India， rather than censorship being hardly unusual in Europe at the same time， and Indian press freedom moved closely in tandem with Europe， suffering setbacks before press freedom being accepted。 So information is sometimes cherry-picked or misrepresented， all to stoke nationalism。 I read a book recently on how the Nazi occupation exploited occupied Europe。 It was a dull read but I understood the mechanics of what the Nazis tried to do and didn't quite clearly。 This author accuses the British of everything， so it makes it hard to understand what was really going on。 Its less of a historical work， and more of an anti-colonialist tract， its like the author is trying to sell us on the idea that colonialism is a bad thing， rather than delve into why / how。 It would make a lot more sense if this had been written before 1948， I felt it was more unhelpful than helpful。It might be a fun read if you just want to hate on the British， but its not a good source， and not something you should read unless you have read some solid research on this period of India。 。。。more

Pavan Palety ，

One star less because the accounting does get a bit tedious and overdone in some chapters but otherwise a marvelous counter-perspective。 We have always understood， growing up in India， that the British looted， pillaged and plundered India but in what devious ways and to what extent is very little known and much less understood。 Even the supposed boons of the Raj like the railways， democracy， western education are all engines of the empire given to India to perpetuate their own wealth and prosper One star less because the accounting does get a bit tedious and overdone in some chapters but otherwise a marvelous counter-perspective。 We have always understood， growing up in India， that the British looted， pillaged and plundered India but in what devious ways and to what extent is very little known and much less understood。 Even the supposed boons of the Raj like the railways， democracy， western education are all engines of the empire given to India to perpetuate their own wealth and prosperity。 The most shocking is our own complicity in making this happen which our school textbooks leave out conveniently。 Guess we as a nation wanted to forget and move on - one can always forgive but one must never forget。 Sashi Tharoor did a splendid job researching， writing and orating this。 。。。more

Yuqing Cao ，

Caution from a reader whose home country also has a colonial past: the author's opinions are sometimes biased against India's neighbours， which you can tell from the unfair comparisons he makes。 Also， he is apparently misinformed about certain facts concerning those countries。 It doesn't happen too often in the text， but when it does， it really is quite off-putting。Just be aware of the above and get reading。 This book is nonetheless a brilliant， eye-opening piece of work。 Caution from a reader whose home country also has a colonial past: the author's opinions are sometimes biased against India's neighbours， which you can tell from the unfair comparisons he makes。 Also， he is apparently misinformed about certain facts concerning those countries。 It doesn't happen too often in the text， but when it does， it really is quite off-putting。Just be aware of the above and get reading。 This book is nonetheless a brilliant， eye-opening piece of work。 。。。more

Amir Iqbal ，

I am donning this book all the stars I can because that's what it deserves。 The writer skillfully countered the narrative of imperial apologists。 Many banes of Indo-pak are gifts of the British。 I liked drain theory most of all。 It is clear that the writer did Justice to the subject matter under consideration。 However， there is a downside as well。 The writer unnecessarily uses difficult vocabulary。 I don't know what's the reason behind it。 Nevertheless， now I firmly believe that The British Raj I am donning this book all the stars I can because that's what it deserves。 The writer skillfully countered the narrative of imperial apologists。 Many banes of Indo-pak are gifts of the British。 I liked drain theory most of all。 It is clear that the writer did Justice to the subject matter under consideration。 However， there is a downside as well。 The writer unnecessarily uses difficult vocabulary。 I don't know what's the reason behind it。 Nevertheless， now I firmly believe that The British Raj was actually "The Brutish Raj。" Another important aspect of the book is that it helped understand some vague concepts such as colonial perspective of gender， the link of lack of governance with corruption， the reasons of lack of respect for law in India， the deterioration of Indian traditional democracy and the cause of overemphasize on agricultural in Pakistan。 I got to know why Paksitan doesn't focus on industrialization and why we have a want for technology used to build industrial sector。 。。。more

Ahmed ，

The author touches and provides statistics on various sectors， economic situations， events， and issues。 The book is good as a generic one without much sophistication。 It doesn't reflect the diverse identities that shaped multiple struggles and movements under colonial rule。 The author mostly uses the modern nation state of India and the british-ruled "India" synonymously， when making comparisons as well as when discussing identity。 The author touches and provides statistics on various sectors， economic situations， events， and issues。 The book is good as a generic one without much sophistication。 It doesn't reflect the diverse identities that shaped multiple struggles and movements under colonial rule。 The author mostly uses the modern nation state of India and the british-ruled "India" synonymously， when making comparisons as well as when discussing identity。 。。。more

Sandy Singh ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Shashi Tharoor has written an eloquent and honest book about the short and long term impact of colonialism。 He did his best to find something positive to say about British rule， in his defense， there isn’t much。

Bhuvanesh Kandasamy ，

To understand the present， it is best understood by visiting our past。 The book sheds light on the impact of the British rule in India。 It also throws light on how economics played a major role in the rise and fall of two great nations。 It provides answers to understand many complex situations of India at present。 India after independence adopted protectionist economic policies till 1991 because of the scars left by the colonial rule。 The education system which did not promote independent thinki To understand the present， it is best understood by visiting our past。 The book sheds light on the impact of the British rule in India。 It also throws light on how economics played a major role in the rise and fall of two great nations。 It provides answers to understand many complex situations of India at present。 India after independence adopted protectionist economic policies till 1991 because of the scars left by the colonial rule。 The education system which did not promote independent thinking， caste system which was used by the British to divide and conquer and lack of opportunities which left almost 90% of the population at poverty during the time of independence were huge problems which had to be tackled slowly by the Indian leaders which had its impact on India's progress。 Though there are some better contributions left by the British in India。 The book gives a light on what humans and countries are capable of doing for their benefits。 。。。more

Aurangzeb Alam ，

Loot and plunder was the name of game in British era in sub-continent。 An eye opener for those who think that english did alot good than bad。 They really need to look further back and read about the riches of India during Mughal empire which was known as Nightingale in the jewel of crown。 Must read。

Vaibhav ，

This is a very good book if you want to get the general idea of what British did to India under its raj。 It does not give you in-depth impact， but covers all the areas affected。 If you want to know if you should read books on India before independence and under British rule but are unsure， this would be the good start。Speaking of language， book is easy to get immersed but will frequently contain some unwanted complicated words （as is the author well known for it） which could be simplified。Book a This is a very good book if you want to get the general idea of what British did to India under its raj。 It does not give you in-depth impact， but covers all the areas affected。 If you want to know if you should read books on India before independence and under British rule but are unsure， this would be the good start。Speaking of language， book is easy to get immersed but will frequently contain some unwanted complicated words （as is the author well known for it） which could be simplified。Book also mentions Will Durant's writing very frequently， so if you have read from his work related to Indian history it would be a plus。 。。。more

Lata ，

Celebrating 75 glorious years of Indian Independence by learning more about Indian History。 Having born after more than 2 generations after India became independent， most of us have taken this liberty for granted。 I am ashamed to say that I didn't know most of our dark past。 We were forced to memorize some dates like the battle of Plassey， battle of Buxar， Simon commission etc， in school and regurgigate them in the exams （Another bane of the British system of education） but never really learned Celebrating 75 glorious years of Indian Independence by learning more about Indian History。 Having born after more than 2 generations after India became independent， most of us have taken this liberty for granted。 I am ashamed to say that I didn't know most of our dark past。 We were forced to memorize some dates like the battle of Plassey， battle of Buxar， Simon commission etc， in school and regurgigate them in the exams （Another bane of the British system of education） but never really learned much。 Shashi Tharoor helps to clear up this ignorance through this well articulated book， backed with sufficient data and statistics。 I have highlighted so many passages in this book that the pages look yellow。 Tharoor tears apart every argument of the Raj-apologists。 I was appalled to read about the racist attitude of some of the noted British like Churchill， Curzon， Clive， Dyer， Rudyard Kipling who were/ are still hailed as heroes。The details of horrors committed on the native Indians by the colonists doesnt make it a easy read。 The Jallianwallahbagh massacre， the devastation during the Bengal famine made me sad and angry。 I had known about the great famine in Bengal that killed millions but just assumed it was because of shortage of food。 This was an eyeopener where he tells there was no shortage。 Grains were exported to England and the soldiers well fed， and even to topup European stockpiles in Greece。 The poor farmers still had to pay the taxes and had nothing to feed on。 Churchill tells "the starvation of anyway underfed Bengalis is less serious than that of sturdy Greeks" and "。。。。why hasn't Gandhi died yet （in the famine）"We look back with horror about the Ukranian famine but how many of us know about the Bengali famine？Their greedy devastation of the forests to grow tea and opium and the destruction of wildlife （tigers and leapords became almost extinct）。 Though this book is not comprehensive， Tharoor provides the relevant information and background on how these incidents in the past shaped the India of today。 For e。g The snooping incident of the 'Amrit Bazaar Patrika' had a major role in Kashmir becoming a part of India。 This book is a must read for all and particularly for every Indian。 。。。more

Akhila ，

An Era of darkness: The British Empire in India， holds over-whelming information structured and opinionated in a well researched manner， atleast for someone， who perhaps have never delved deeper into the realms of British brutality。 We as childern have learned in history about the Indian Independance struggle， but what we have learned do not encompass even a fraction of the 200 years of colonialism that has practically decimated India morally， economically and socially in a hundred different way An Era of darkness: The British Empire in India， holds over-whelming information structured and opinionated in a well researched manner， atleast for someone， who perhaps have never delved deeper into the realms of British brutality。 We as childern have learned in history about the Indian Independance struggle， but what we have learned do not encompass even a fraction of the 200 years of colonialism that has practically decimated India morally， economically and socially in a hundred different ways。 Yes， this book spews venom in a very anglicised fashion， Shashi Tharoor yet again proving to be a diplomat at the core。 And if the facts rightfully demands such vengeance， then so be it。 It is only fair that all the unfairness this country has faced be laid naked before the world despite the positives far and few in between which colonialization has brought about。 The feelings that course through you， when you read the book are manifold。 Yes， it might turn one into a British-hater， possible。 From the time， the East India Company came into power， over throwing the last Mughal rulers， the country has been spiralling downwards for two whole centuries， for profit and completely selfish reasons in the name of bringing progress and development of the non whites or the lesser people。 They destroyed the strong shipping industry that India once boasted of， the textile idustry struggled under their ferocious rule， they spent more on military than education and anything that they seem to have established in India， on a much closer lens was only for their own benefit than for the people whom they governed。The much famous GDP changes from before colonialisation and during the British Raj is a jarring reflection of how India's economy spiralled downwards。 The looting of Indian material resources and shipping it out to Britain by mere force， thereby causing widespread famines and poverty， their 'divide and rule' ideology that caused long lasting split among the various sections of our society and their dire negligence to deal with the existing superstitions in our own culture goes to show that they ruled India for themselves。 There is also an effective comparison that Tharoor draws between the British rule and the all the rulers that have ruled India before。 While the other rulers ruled India， hey also spend their loot in India and never took it out of India。 They considered themselves part of India。 This was not the case with the British。 They were always outsiders and always acted the part。 The Indian Independence struggle by far can only be considered phenomenal， becasue it overthrew a rule that existed for 200 odd years。 。。。more

Frazier Thomas ，

This book contains a lot of valuable information about the British Raj。 However， I found it lacking a strong narrative and overly obsessed with colonial misconduct。 While I understand Shashi wants to counter recent imperial nostalgia and apologists， I think he overcompensates。 It reads as if he's sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for someone to defend the British Empire， ready to jump on them with a sheet of statistics in his hand and a quotation from a relevant imperial official。 I wanted This book contains a lot of valuable information about the British Raj。 However， I found it lacking a strong narrative and overly obsessed with colonial misconduct。 While I understand Shashi wants to counter recent imperial nostalgia and apologists， I think he overcompensates。 It reads as if he's sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for someone to defend the British Empire， ready to jump on them with a sheet of statistics in his hand and a quotation from a relevant imperial official。 I wanted to reach through the book and urge him to take a deep breath and let the facts speak for themselves。If you're looking for a reference-book to defeat imperial apologists in an argument， this is for you。If you're looking for a compelling narrative detailing the era of the British Raj， colorful portraits of its heroes and villains， and occasional nuanced speculation about the imperial era -- join me in searching for a different book。To reiterate， I enjoy a lot of the content。 I just wish a strong narrative was in the driver's seat， even if rapacity is riding shotgun， "Let me summarize the British Raj， the main theme is exploitation"。 Instead I received "Let me list different ways the British exploited India during the Raj， there will be specks of narrative in between。" 。。。more

Manisha ，

Listened to the audiobook。DNF @ 26%

Remya Mohanraj ，

As with many of Sashi Tharoor’s books， An era of darkness， presents an excerpt from Indian history in a manner that’s easily absorbable by laymen。 With no sugar coating， the author lays bare the malefactions of British Raj and brings to light many lesser known facts。 The current reality of the Indian subcontinent is very much shaped by its colonial past and it is left for the reader to discern if the British colonial regime could have been any different in other colonies。 It is only reasonable t As with many of Sashi Tharoor’s books， An era of darkness， presents an excerpt from Indian history in a manner that’s easily absorbable by laymen。 With no sugar coating， the author lays bare the malefactions of British Raj and brings to light many lesser known facts。 The current reality of the Indian subcontinent is very much shaped by its colonial past and it is left for the reader to discern if the British colonial regime could have been any different in other colonies。 It is only reasonable to expect some form of apology for all the transgressions committed and as Sashi Tharoor rightly points out， it is very important to educate future generations on actual colonial history; it should be ensured that certain parts of history are never repeated。 。。。more

Prashanth Bhat ，

ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷರು ಭಾರತವನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆಲ್ಲ ಲೂಟಿ ಮಾಡಿದರು ಎಂದು ಇಂಚಿಂಚಾಗಿ ವಿವರಿಸುವ ಶಶಿ ತರೂರ್ ಅವರ ಈ ಕೃತಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಓದಬೇಕಾದದ್ದು。

Hafeez KakaKhail ，

Skilfully crafted by Shashi Tharoor。 The whole idea concealed behind the wrongdoings of Raj is to look back into pre colonial history of the region which is not written by a British and realize that all the divisions that we have today are in fact created by the Britons。 If we could take out that history into our main stream education much of the problems in our countries: India & Pakistan could be solved。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0