A look at India after the British rule
By John S. Pinto
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traditions. For instance, the cities of Bombay and Madras have been renamed Mumbai and Chennai,
respectively. Bangalore is also due to be renamed. Trying to dump symbols of two centuries of British rule
has been popular in India. However, changing every tradition and symbol has not been easy. One of the
biggest legacies of British rule is that English is spoken by about 400 million Indians. English is the
language of commerce, science and higher learning. If one wants to get ahead in India, one must know
English.
Other legacies of British rule are, unlike many other former colonies, India still adheres to the notion of the
rule of law, a parliamentary democracy, a constitutional government and an organized civil service. There is
a feeling that the rule of law and civil service have become meaningless these days and have morphed into
corrupt and inefficient entities that largely symbolize many of modern India's woes. Mark Tully, a former India
bureau chief of the BBC who has lived in India for over 40 years, says that the police force under British rule
was known for corruption, brutality, torture and for a tradition of being in favor of the government. Today, the
police force is hardly different. Colonial-era laws have remained in place and are exploited today by the ruling
class just as they were exploited by the British. The civil service, which was designed by the British to run a
colony, is used today to run a democracy, according to Tully. The Indian military still follows most of the
traditions of the colonial British.
The British-designed Indian railways and the game of cricket that was popularized by the British are
credited with uniting the country.
Today, India is seen as an emerging economic power. While many Indians have benefited from the
information technology industry, many more have not. India's leaders have shown an inability to reform the
country's colonial-era civil service and police force to meet today's needs. The rule of law should be firmly
established for all Indians, not just for the powerless. Indians yearn for the day when rampant corruption will
end but seem unable to muster the will to do so.
It will take time for India to free itself from the yolk of British rule. Some British traditions, like the widespread
use of English, have served India well. Others -- like the outdated civil service, the police force and the
associated corruption -- will have to be reformed if India is to truly fulfill its potential as a great economic and
moral force for the world.
On August 15, 2007, India celebrated 60 years of Independence from British rule. Britain ruled
India for 200 years before granting its independence. During that period, the British
established traditions and infrastructure that still endure to this day. In the last few years,
Indians have tried to erase some of these