At the same time, in gives precise information as to how the British Raj crippled India economically.

Or to think objectively about the effects of policies and actions, such as war and colonisation, upon the populations of the world.Īn Era of Darkness serves as a brief guide to the entire history of British rule in India. We were never asked to argue both sides of a question. But history was not taught with a spirit of enquiry. Yes, we all read about British Raj and the Indian freedom struggle. When a child learns history in school, often it is a highly biased as well as highly abridged version.

He addresses each of the pro-colonial arguments – for example, that British rule brought about law and order to a nation that was ruled by debauched and/or brutal native rulers, that the Britishers actually ushered India into the modern age by building a superb rail and road network, that they put an end to heinous practices such as Sati, and other sundry arguments that claim that British rule did quite a lot of good on the way to doing harm. Tharoor systematically goes over the history of British rule in India and the adverse effects of colonialism on Indian industry and economy. Its measured, non-jingoistic tone is precisely what makes this book a worthy and readable one. As the title makes clear, it is all about the iniquities of the British rule in India. An Era of Darkness : The British Empire in India is the latest by Shashi Tharoor.

An era of darkness author