Independence Day

I can see that the commercialism of 14th August is a good thing, it allows some people to make a living, and for the fun starved masses of our land of the pure, it provides an excuse to break all kind of laws, hanging outside their car windows, lighting firecrackers, etc. I just don't get it, probably just me, who doesn't enjoy the cheap thrills associated with putting flags on cars (the flags by the way are usually made totally out of proportion and wrong placement of the crescent and star), So I will let it be.

What I am more interested in is the history of this so called independence from the colonial rule of the British Empire. Before the British came, we had been ruled over by successive dynasties of various invaders. If we look at the history of the Indian Sub-continent, we can see that people of central Asian states used to march down through the Khyber Pass, kick some serious butt and then take over for a while. And when the news of the riches of India reached Europe, they wanted part of it too and sailed in and took over what they could. And if you looked closely at the demographics, you would find that there were always people from different parts of the world, who were the rulers. I don't think the indigenous people of India had much of a chance. Like the American Indians, these people were almost wiped out. There are only a few places in the southern part of India that can boast having aboriginal origins.

So there we have it, the "Aryans" from somewhere arrive and become the Brahmins of society. Everyone else is below them, the locals the lowest caste possible. The Arabs come and want to Arabise everyone, and the Afghans want a piece for themselves. In all this confusion, the British arrive to milk the cash cow, and there are no Indians left. They are Mughals, or Pathans, or Brahmins and the Punjabis, but no one that can be called Indian.

The second world war is drawing to an end, the British Empire is tired, and knows its going to cost a lot more to keep the Indian colony than its worth. There really isn't much left, the jute is being replaced by artificial fiber, the people have been taxed to death, so the best option is to get out. Now they need somebody to hand over the country to, the National Congress has a lot of following, their non-violent movement has converted a lot of people and the British know they are on the losing side. The Muslim Zamindars and Princes aren't happy with this. Congress says they will enact and implement the Land Reform Act, which means the end of fiefdoms, so what can they do? And the Muslim League is formed, mostly made up of big land owners. The Pathans don't want part of this, the Balochis are too few, the Muslim Zamindars of Punjab know that if they are part of greater India, their lives of leisure are over. So give us a separate homeland, since the Hindus will eat us alive. I am not sure why the Bengalis fell for this ploy, my guess is that being a lot more sophisticated, they were passionate about a cause. Something which didn't work out eventually, and they went their seperate way.

So there we have it, the Muslims of a few provinces got their separate real estate, when the majority of Muslims still lived in the other India. They got to retain their fiefdoms, and still do. The rest is what we see today.

Independence day? I don't think so. A deal made with a weakening empire, based on the wrong motives for selfish reasons. But let these buggers rejoice, they don't know any better.